Perception
by EillahAmethyst
Summary: Rather than live in fear of death, Emi exiled herself to the West, eventually making her way to France and earning the position as a caretaker for a blind man, who has isolated himself from the world, named Erik. As Emi learns more about Erik and his past she begins to feel a bond form between, which blossoms into something more as they show each other the beauty of rarity
1. Chapter 1

**After a long, trying and emotional semester…**

 **Me: *sleep deprived* "I don't know what's going on anymore-I don't give a crap about this s***ty painting."**

 **Classmates: "You're painting is so cool! I like your technique!"**

 **Me: "Well I must be doing something right, because I hate it and everyone who sees it loves it."**

 **(Later at home when painting is complete)**

 **Me: "Now what I am going to do with this spare time? *idea pops into head* Eh…why not?"**

 **Hope you guys enjoy this!**

 **DISCLAIMER:**

 **This story and its characters' are works of fiction, though some aspects have been built upon/around historical events.**

Chapter 1: Caretaker

St. Dymphna, Brittany, France

Spring, 1884

 _This is it._ Emi thought to herself, _No going back now_.

She inhaled a healthy portion of sea air, and exhaled it all out deeply. She straightened herself up to her full height of 157cm (5ft 2in) before knocking on the impressive oak door. It wasn't just the door that was impressive; it was the entire house itself.

Emi enjoyed taking in the house's features as she walked up the hill from the nearby fishing village of St. Dymphna. It was the only two story house in the entire area (Emi did not count the inn or the live above homes of some of the local businesses' of St. Dymphna). She could tell that at one point that the house had been painted a bright white, but years of the costal weather had dulled its hue slightly. Though the gables were painted a dull grayish blue color they still popped out against the white of the home. Personally Emi did not like the color of the gables; the color reminded her of approaching storm clouds. If she had a say in what to paint those gables she would paint them her favorite color, Sapphire blue. Emi's favorite feature of the house was the large porch that she was currently standing on. The porch was the first thing Emi noticed about the home, it stretched from one end of the front of the house to the other. She could imagine herself sitting on the porch and taking a pleasurable view of the village below, with the room over head guarding her from the intense heat of the sun (as it was doing now). She did see two wicker chairs out of the corner of her right eye and was half tempted to take up their inviting offer to come and sit and enjoy the view.

The scrambling of feet from the other side of the door reminded Emi that she was not here for a social call, but on business.

She could hear the person on the other side fumbling with the lock of the door; up until now Emi had been calm and confident, but now that the moment was so close she began to feel nervous. Her heart hammered against her chest, her mouth became dry as a dessert, and her legs wobbled like a baby learning to walk. For once she was grateful for long black skirt that hid her legs, even if she still hated it, it now served a useful purpose.

 _Maybe this wasn't-_

Her thoughts came to a screeching halt when the oak door opened up and revealed a Middle Eastern man, who only looked a few years older than she, but she sensed that he had a soul much older and wiser than hers. His facial features neither looked pleased or displeased by her presence, but his jade eyes told her that he was exhausted (so too did the dark circles under his eyes). He looked down at her with his neutral gaze and Emi felt as though she had shrunken down to the size of an ant.

"Can I help you with something, Mademoiselle?" he asked casually.

Suddenly remembering the reason on why she had come to this man's door Emi spoke up as though the man was partially deaf.

"Bonsoir, Monsieur." Emi greeted with a smile brighter than the sun, "My name is Emily Young, and I am here about a caretaker position."

 _Stupid!_ She scolded herself. _Why are you smiling like a lunatic?_

"Ah, yes!" the man said returning her smile with one of his own. "Please come in and we shall discuss the details of the job."

He stepped aside and bid Emi to enter the house.

"Merci, Monsieur." Emi said as she crossed the threshold of the home.

"You can call me Nadir, Mademoiselle Young."

Unlike the exterior of the home, which was somewhat bright, the interior was dark. There was not a single light source emitting from anywhere in the home (excluding the front door which was still open), and from what Emi could see of the inside thus far she noticed that there was not a single piece of décor to give the home a personality. No paintings, no decorations, the lack of personal items made the home feel empty and cold, like a body with an unfeeling soul.

Once the man called Nadir shut and locked the front door the room grew darker. Emi should have been wary about her surroundings and poor lighting, and the fact that she was now locked in the house with a stranger, but she sensed no sinister ulterior motive from Nadir and even if he did try anything Emi was confident that she could kill him and dispose of his body without getting caught.

"So," Emi spoke casually, "not a fan of light are you?"

"Please excuse the lack of light Mademoiselle Young." Nadir explained, "But the owner of the house does not have any use of light."

"Why? Can they see well in the dark?" She asked in a teasing tone.

"Actually," Nadir spoke hesitantly, afraid as though he was giving out a secret against someone's wishes. "He is blind."

"Oh…" Emi's face dropped, and she suddenly felt like the world's cruelest person.

"I am so sorry." She quickly apologized, "I didn't mean any disrespect. I was just trying to lighten the mood a bit." She slapped a hand over her mouth, and cursed whatever joking demon had possessed it.

 _Baka!_ She had switched to screaming at herself in her mother tongue. _Baka! Baka! Baka! Baka!_

She released her mouth quickly to apologize once again for her insensitive speech, never once noticing the look of utter confusion on Nadir's face.

"It's alright, Mademoiselle." He reassured her quickly, "You didn't know about the man's blindness, and I am sure you meant no disrespect."

Emi halted in her apologetic ramblings and looked up at Nadir. Now that her eyes had adjusted to the lack of lighting she could see the amusement bleeding through the calm exterior he tried to maintain in front of her.

She never felt like a bigger fool than at that moment.

"Sorry." She apologized one last time.

"No harm done." He reassured her. "Now shall we journey to my office, Mademoiselle Young, to discuss the duties as a caretaker? I do have some light sources.

Emi smiled shyly at his attempt to ease the awkwardness that she had created.

She nodded her head, "Hai."

"Um…hi?"

"Oh, sorry." She apologized once more, "I meant to say yes. I am quite curious about this job. The listing in the paper did not give much detail about the responsibilities' one would have as a caretaker."

"Well…" Nadir said as he began to lead the way to his office. Unable to find the right words to properly describe the job position he settled for honesty. "It is not your average caretaker job."

Emi raised an eyebrow at this.

 _Interesting._ She thought as she followed him in silence, _Perhaps this job will make it worth settling down here. That is if you don't screw up further, you idiot!_

 **A few things:**

 **One; yes I am a fan of anime, two; reviews/comments are welcome, three; I hope you guys enjoyed the story!**

 ***ducks behind man made barricade to survive comments concerning overused plot structures***


	2. Chapter 2

***Peeks over barricade* Wow, that wasn't as bad as I thought. Well, here is chapter two! If anyone is still reading this, sorry about the delay; I have been moving into a new place and working full time, and at the end of the day all one wants to do is sleep…or play video games with the room-mate.**

Chapter 2: The Interview

Unlike the rest of the home, which was completely bare of any belongings (other than the furniture) to signify any sort of status or personality Nadir's office (as he so called it) was quite the opposite.

His office wasn't lavished with such fine items, but the room did reflect some details about him. From what Emi could deduce about his person from looking around the room she concluded that the man had an apperception for the simple things in life and that he was a practical man, judging by how his desk was modest in size and its design was simplistic, nothing ornate about it in the slightest. She had also noticed a prayer rug safely tucked away on a nearby shelf (the shelf solely reserved for that one item and nothing else), and had guessed that he was a Muslim. The next shelf beneath the prayer rug held only two items; a raggedy stuffed monkey doll that looked as though it had seen better days, and a framed piece of parchment paper that had become yellowed with age. The content of the note was written in a language that Emi had not seen before, making the note unreadable to her. She assumed these two items were very dear to Nadir, perhaps relics from a past he could not part with. She understood the feeling only too well, and thus already held respect towards him.

"Please sit down, Mademoiselle Young." Nadir said gesturing to one of the chairs sitting before his desk.

Emi took a seat and watched as Nadir settled into his office chair.

Once Nadir became comfortable Emi dove straight into business matters.

"You mentioned that this would be an unusual caretaker job."

"Yes." Nadir admitted a little shakily.

"Why is that?"

Nadir knew it was only fair to tell the young girl sitting across from him the duties that would accompany the position, but he himself did not know how to describe the job properly to her. He never had to hire anyone in his life before, and he didn't want the job to seem like he would be paying her to babysit a full grown man (even if that was the best way to describe the job).

The truth was he really just needed some help because the strain of trying to help out his friend while taking care of the house was pushing him to the breaking point.

In the end he decided to be completely honest with her.

"The job requires that you more or less help watch over the owner of this house."

"That doesn't seem all that unusual." Said Emi feeling slightly disappointed by the thought of normalcy.

Nadir had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep himself from bursting out that the man who she would be watching over was not usual.

He was far from usual; he was a rarity among men in this world.

"Mademoiselle Young," Nadir continued, "should you accept this job everyday would pose as somewhat of a challenge."

Emi raised an eyebrow at his words, "Challenge?" she said feeling slightly excited at the prospect of a challenge.

Nadir allowed himself to let loose some of his pent up aggression towards the man in question, the man whom he called his friend. "The man is a stubborn fool who would rather be left alone to rot, than accept any form of help."

Emi was slightly shocked by Nadir's sudden outburst.

Nadir took a deep breath and continued to speak, this time in a much calmer tone. "I do not blame him for the way he behaves though. Please, understand that he was not always blind. He had the most excellent vision up until two years ago.

"May I inquire of how he lost his eyesight?" Emi asked curiously.

"It was a tragic accident that lead to his blindness." Nadir stated matter of factly. "That is all you need to know." His low tone indicated that the discussion was over, his tone also held a warning note as well.

Emi understood and did not question further. She could not imagine what it must be like to be blessed with vision and then to have it ripped away so suddenly.

"My apologies," she said quietly, her gaze slightly lowered. "It was only curiosity as to why I even asked in the first place."

 _Emi, you fool! You are mucking things up again, you idiot!_

Nadir accepted her apology, "No harm done. It is only natural to be curious, but," he added quickly, "if you do agree to this job I must advise you to not question him about his past. It is a painful subject for him."

"Understood" Emi nodded.

Nadir gave the young girl a moment to process the information he just gave her, and waited for her to make the next move.

"So," Emi began After a minute a mulling over the information Nadir had spoken to her, "My job would be to watch over the owner of this house then."

"Along with a few minor duties around the home as well. And do you also understand that the job would require you to move onto the premises? Would this cause any problems for you?"

Emi shook her head no, "I am currently rooming at the local inn now. I do not have much with me so I can move in at any moment."

Nadir was ready to tell her that she had the job, but he still had one more detail to go over with her first, before she made the final decision to take the job.

"If I may," Emi asked suddenly, "Monsieur Nadir, why did you make this job seem so cryptic? It sounds as though I will be more of a nurse than a caretaker."

"Well," Nadir admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck "to be perfectly truthful I have never had the role of an employer before. So this is all new to me; to be perfectly honest I wasn't sure why I described the job title the way I did either."

Deciding to give the man sitting across from her a boost of confidence Emi told Nadir that he was doing a fine job.

The comment made Nadir smile.

"But, there is also another reason why I did not give too much detail in the ad as well." Nadir explained, "You see the whole village knows about the owner's behavior, and no one wants the job because of it. I thought that if I made the position vague enough in the paper that an outsider would see it and be curious enough to inquire about the job.

Nadir seemed desperate for help of any kind, and Emi was willing to accept the job.

"I am ready to hire you right now, Mademoiselle Young." Said Nadir.

Emi's heart sang upon hearing those words Nadir spoke.

"But the final say is yours."

Emi was about to accept, but Nadir halted her with a few words before she got a single breath out.

"Before you say yes, Mademoiselle Young, I think it would be beneficial to you if you were to meet the man you'll be looking after first. Test the waters so to speak."

Emi agreed to meet her future charge.

"If you will follow me then Mademoiselle Young." Said Nadir as he rose from his seat.

Emi rose from her seat as well, and once again she followed him down the dark and empty hallways of the home in silence, to a room located on the second floor of the home.

Even with no lighting Emi could see that Nadir was visibly nervous as they stopped in front of a closed door to someone's bedroom.

Nadir took a deep breath then knocked twice before opening the door slightly to allow part of his body entrance.

 _For a blind man he sure does instill a lot of fear._ Emi thought to herself as she watched Nadir.

"Erik," Nadir spoke in a quick, shaky voice, "I have some who wants to meet you."

 _So that's his name._

Out of all the questions that had crossed her mind during the interview, she never once inquired about the man's name that she would be looking after.

 _It's an interesting name_.

Before Erik could even respond Nadir opened the door further and stepped aside. With a wave of his hand he motioned for Emi to enter the room.

Emi entered the room quietly and with careful footsteps; from behind her she could hear the door close slightly. She looked back and discovered that Nadir had left the door slightly ajar, and stood close by in case he needed to intervene in some way. Nadir was not about to allow any harm to come to the young girl.

She returned her attention back to the person she was supposed to be meeting. A slight chill ran all the way up her spine, making her hair stand on edge as she laid eyes on a figure sitting casually in a plush chair not far from where she stood.

He was a thin, skeletal looking fellow with jet black hair and pale porcelain skin that seemed to glow in the dark. He wore a stark white shirt that he did not even bother to tuck into his black trousers, along with a black silk robe as well. His eyes were covered with a black cloth, but his head was turned in her direction and she felt as though he could see her despite his blindness. She gazed back at the man named Erik and as her eyes adjusted to the immense darkness of his room she began to notice that the right side of his face had been horribly damaged in some way.

Emi felt a sting of pity towards the man sitting before her.

 _What have you gone through, poor soul?_

Despite the mixed feelings of sympathy and pity towards the man there was still one word that came to Emi's mind as she gazed upon the strange looking man before her.

Shinigami

 ***Laughs hysterically* I can already hear my good friend say "'One of the most over used words in anime'!" Reviews/Comments are welcome! Until next time readers, I am going to sleep now.**


	3. Chapter 3

***sits at computer trying to type, when suddenly disturbed by very loud upstairs neighbors, looks up***

 **Says to self: "…what the hell are they doing up there? Eh, I probably don't want to know."**

 **Ok, drum roll, because here is the chapter where everyone's favorite character finally appears in the story, that's right, here's Erik! Sorry, but it is also a short chapter as well, but hope ya'll enjoy it anyway.**

Chapter 3: Erik

Emi stood looking at the blind man, whom Nadir called Erik, debating on whether she should be the first one to speak or wait for him to speak to her first. The seconds ticked by at a slow pace, Emi felt as though she had been standing in the same spot for hours instead of a few minutes, but still Erik did not say a word.

 _Is he waiting for to speak?_

"Whoever is there better state their business and leave."

Erik's sudden command startled Emi, causing her to flinch with surprise. She wasn't expecting him to speak so suddenly, and she did not expect the voice that emanated from his throat.

Beautiful could not properly describe Erik's silvery voice; his was a clear, strong voice that washed over Emi like a river current sending a cool sensation to flow over her entire body.

"Well?" Erik asked stretching the word out to show his patience growing thin with her.

Emi quickly shook her head to clear it of any mental cobwebs, and introduced herself to Erik.

"Bonjour, Monsieur Erik," she said with a smile, knowing well that he couldn't see it, but she had hoped he would be able to sense the smile in her voice. "My name is Emily Young, and I am here to take care of you."

Before Erik's facial expression resembled that of annoyance towards her intrusion, but after stating her business for being in his presence his facial expression changed from one of annoyance to anger.

She had chosen the wrong words.

Emi began to speak quickly, hoping to rectify what she had said to offend him, "Oh, wait that didn't come out right. What I meant to say-"

"Nadir!" Erik roared, his voice causing Emi to flinch slightly. His voice seemed to blast past her and hit Nadir at full force. "I know you're out there you Persian dolt! The door didn't click so I know you're nearby!"

Emi watched as Erik rose furiously from his seat, and began to walk towards the door with infuriated steps. Emi had to step out of his way to avoid being knocked over.

Emi observed Erik curiously as he navigated his way to the door without any trouble, he didn't even fumble with the door handle when he wretched the door the rest of the way open. It appeared that Erik could navigate fairly well on his own, Emi had noted. But, once he stepped foot out into the hallway he stopped.

Emi moved to stand at the door frame to take in the scene; Erik stood in the middle of the hallway, motionless, head lowered in focus for any sound that would give away Nadir's position.

Nadir stood only a few feet away from Erik, arms crossed and standing perfectly still, waiting for Erik to make a move.

"God damn it! I know you're out here, Nadir!" Erik barked as his slender hands clenched into tight fists.

Both Nadir and Emi watched as Erik slid his left foot forward before moving his entire body forward ever so slightly (it was at this particular moment that Emi had noticed that Erik's feet were bare). Both continued to watch as Erik turned in the opposite direction away from Nadir and began to slowly walk away, his head still bent in concentration, ears no doubt straining to pick up the slightest sound to be heard.

At first Emi believed that Erik had an excellent sense of direction from the way he had his head turned to her when she walked into his room, and how he found his way to the door quickly without help. But now he moved with unsure steps and appeared as though he could not sense their presence anywhere in the slightest.

The menacing aura she once felt around him faded quickly as she watched Erik navigate the hallway poorly, and she retracted her previous mental comment about him. She no longer viewed him as a shinigami, but rather what he was.

A mekura.

Unable to watch anymore Emi finally spoke up, "You're headed in the wrong direction."

Erik's head swiveled in her direction, "I didn't ask for your help." He growled.

She said nothing as she crossed her arms and scowled at him, and watched as he turned away from her and continued slowly on his original course.

 _Stubborn fool is right!_ Emi said to herself.

Nadir finally spoke up, "Erik, I asked for her help."

Erik's head swung in the direction of Nadir's voice, he then redirected his course to make his way towards Nadir.

"Told you." Emi gloated quietly as Erik walked past her.

He didn't turn his head in her direction to even acknowledge her, he only growled low in his throat as he continued to make his way towards Nadir.

"I told you a million times, Nadir," Erik spoke through clenched teeth, "I just want to be left alone!"

Two years worth of frustration had built up inside of Nadir from putting up with Erik's nonsense, and it was at that moment that all his pent up aggression erupted from his being.

"Damn it, Erik! I don't care what you want!"

That stopped Erik in his tracks, and caused Emi's eyes to widen with surprise at Nadir's sudden outburst. She debated on whether or not she should leave and allow them some privacy, but for some unknown reason to her she remained at her spot in the doorway and took in the scene that was playing out before her.

"Erik," Nadir lowered his voice but it still trembled with anger, even the closed fists at his sides shook with built up rage towards Erik. "I have put up with your nonsense throughout the years, and have even respected your wishes against my better judgment, because you are my friend."

 _Strange friendship._ Emi commented silently.

"I have given you your isolation from the world, while I have taken care of this house. Not just maintenance but finically as well, I have even taken care of you as well despite your childish protests, and damn it I am at my wits end and would like some help

I don't care if you detest Emily's presence in this house hold, it's not your call to make this time, it's mine. So for once in your spoiled life, shut up and deal with it!"

The entire hallway was deadly quiet, except for Erik and Nadir's fierce breathing. The two said nothing to each other as they stood facing each other, each defending the ground they stood. The scene between the two men reminded Emi of a pair of alpha wolves defending their turf, she was even waiting for the two to begin growling at each other before they fought for who would be in control.

But no such thing happened.

After a few minutes Erik turned away from Nadir, without a word, and began to make his way back to his room hastily. She had to step out of Erik's way yet again, or be pushed out of the way.

Once he was back in his room Erik slammed the door with a loud bang.

 _Such childish behavior._

Emi looked over to Nadir, who had an apologetic look on his face. Unable to find any words to lighten and diffuse the intense atmosphere that had been built up she simply shrugged her thin shoulders without a word spoken out loud.

 _This is going to be quite the challenge._ Emi thought with a strange feeling of excitement.

 **I don't know how people will react to this chapter, but I am still going to go and hide behind the barricade just in case. Hope ya'll enjoyed the chapter, I am going to bed now, so peace out!**


	4. Chapter 4

***Peeks out from behind the barricade*…Again, that wasn't so bad, oh and Bleaky, thank you for the nice review, it completed the good day I was having. I hope you guys that are still reading this are enjoying the story so far, I know it seems to start out slow but that is how I set up most of my stories that I write (and that is how this particular story began in my head anyway). With that being said I hope that you guys enjoy this chapter, again it is another short chapter, but that is just how scenes are set up and played out in my head *whispers to self* "damn characters!". More chapters are to come in the future, and since I do some research on the era and various other things within this story I will be sure to let you guys know when some chapters will be taken longer than others. So until then, enjoy!**

Chapter Four: Acceptance

"I apologize for my behavior back there." Said Nadir as he and Emi made their way back down the stairs, "I didn't mean for my anger to get the best of me, but it has been…a trying couple of years."

"No need to apologize," Emi reassured him, "If I could speak freely for a moment I can understand how you could lose your temper for a moment dealing with…" she trailed off not wanting to insult a man she had just met.

"An arrogant brat." Nadir supplied.

"I was leaning towards fool, but what you said works just as well."

Emi didn't have to ask about the strange relationship between Erik and Nadir; just by how they spoke to each other on a familiar level, and how neither one never used a title to address the other she only assumed that there was some sort of odd friendship between the two of them. Or, at the very least an acquaintanceship.

Instead of returning to his office Nadir lead the way back to the front entrance of the house.

"Well, Mademoiselle Young," said Nadir as he turned to address Emi, "I am ready to hire you for the job. But whether you accept the position or not is entirely up to you." He directed his gaze away from her as if he was afraid she was going to reject the offer, "I would understand if you decided not to take the job after meeting Erik."

Inside Emi was squealing with joy just like a little girl. Nadir had offered her the job. After watching the display of raw anger unfold upstairs not too long ago any normal person, who would wish to keep their sanity, would decline the offer. But, Emi was far from normal (as she had been told since a young age) not only did this man before her offer her the job-a trying one no doubt-but he also offered her a place to live as well. She could finally cease the wondering of a self imposed exile, and start to live a life again.

Though she did enjoy her travels all around Europe, she was starting to feel a sense of emptiness deep down in her soul (a feeling she thought she had longed since suffocated long ago). She had tried to begin a life again a few times in her life, but the places that she thought she could call home gave her no reason to stay, or feel like she belonged there in the first place. But this place, this man named Nadir, gave her a reason to finally end her wondering and to begin a new life.

"I accept."

Nadir's joyous smile seemed to lighten the dark house slightly. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear that, Mademoiselle Young."

"You may call me Emily if you like. Since you have allowed me to use your first name, I think it is only fair if you are allowed to use mine."

"As you wish…Emily." Nadir tested her name on his tongue; it felt strange to him to not address someone he barely by their first name.

Moving the conversation back to business, Nadir asked Emi when she would be able to start. She informed him that she could begin work first thing in the morning, Emi had also informed him that she did not have many personal belongings with her so she would also be able to move in on the same day as well.

"Would that be alright?" she asked not wanting to cause Nadir any unnecessary stress.

"It will be no trouble at all," Nadir said, "I'll have your room ready for you to move in to by tomorrow."

Emi smiled at the notion that tomorrow she would finally have a place to settle down on, even if she would only be a servant in the household.

"What time should I expect to see you in the morning?" asked Nadir.

"Would eight o'clock be alright?"

"Certainly. And before you go, do you have any questions about the job, Emily?" he hesitated slightly when using her name, it would take a while for him to get used to calling her Emily instead of Mademoiselle Young.

"I have just one question." Emi admitted, "Is it nescarry for me to wear skirts and dresses?"

Nadir gave the young girl a quizzical look, "What else would you wear?"

"I would much rather wear trousers, I found that during traveling they are much more comfortable and practical for work instead of this." she gestured at the much hated black skirt she wore.

"Oh, yes, that will be fine." Said Nadir, relieved by her answer. "I don't mind if you wear clothing that makes you comfortable, but I must insist," he said putting much authority in his voice, "that you keep yourself covered."

Emi nodded her head to show she understood.

"Any other questions?" his voice had returned to its normal light self.

Emi thought briefly about any other questions she had about the job, but the job itself seemed straight forward that she could find no questions to ask.

After a minute Emi answered, "None that I can think of right now."

"Very well." Said Nadir, unlocking the front door, "Then I shall see you in the morning. Au revoir, Emily."

"Au revoir, Nadir. I shall see you come morning."

Having had her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the house the natural light of the sun was blinding to Emi when Nadir opened the door for her. As she stepped outside into the sun she was reminded of the saying "don't walk towards the light". She heard the door close gently behind her as she reached the first step of the porch; she had to use the banister of the porch steps to help guide her down from the house in order to keep from missing a step. Once she felt solid earth beneath her feet she stopped and rubbed at her eyes by reflex, and waited momentarily for her eyes to adjust again.

Once Emi's eyes had adjusted to the intense light of the outside world she allowed herself to gaze up in to the clear, bright, spring sky, smiling to herself at its simple beauty while at the same time feeling a pang of sympathy towards Erik. She could not help but feel sorry for him, because he could no longer gaze upon such wonders of nature.

Her thoughts soon drifted towards the blind man, Erik; she wondered how he had come to lose his vision, and how the right side of his face had become so distorted. She also wondered briefly if the two tragedies were in some way related to one another, but she knew that she would never know, Nadir made it perfectly clear that whatever had happened to Erik in the past that she was not allowed to know or even question.

She could see him clearly sitting there in the darkness of his room, isolating himself from the rest world. The image alone was enough to replace Emi's carefree smile with a sorrowful frown. She had no clues as to what happened in Erik's past, but she knew that whatever tragedy had befallen the man that the events from it had cut him deeply and left a deep, jagged scar upon his soul.

 _Poor soul, life can be so cruel._

It was a statement Emi knew only too well.

 **And thus ends another chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed it, now take care because I am off to bed now because I have work in the morning.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Mom: "I saw a commercial for that Assassin's Creed movie. Is that the series you talk about?"**

 **Me: "I saw it too! Now do you get it?"**

 **Mom: "What? Do they bring this guy back from the dead to do…stuff?"**

 **Me: *Hangs head low in disappointment***

 **Mom: "What?"**

 **In case you missed that Assassin's Creed is going to be on the big screen, and yes I am very excited…I just wanted to share that for no reason.**

 **Moving on; Hi everyone who is reading this I hope you are enjoying the story this far. This is yet again another short chapter (but this is a chapter that provides some minor insight about the character Emi), but don't worry the next chapter will be longer and will feature the much beloved Erik *at this point boyfriend rolls eyes at that statement*. Unfortunately the next chapter will not be up until either Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest, due to helping a friend design a logo, research, and Memorial Day. Also, Bleaky thanks again for the lovely reviews and quickly pull yourself together there is more to come lols! Well after that long winded introduction I hope ya'll enjoy this short chapter.**

Chapter Five: Irises

Upon returning to the local inn Emi had informed the elderly inn keeper behind the desk that she would be staying for one last night.

"Moving on now are you, Mademoiselle?" the elderly man asked casually.

"Sort of." Emi replied hastily, she was in a hurry to get back up to her room that she supplied the next answer to the question that Emi assumed was on the tip of his tongue. "I've been hired to help out around that estate not too far from here."

The inn keepers grey eyes rounded with shock at her words, "Surely you don't mean that old house on top of the hill, Mademoiselle."

"It's not that old."

In a rush to get back to her room Emi left the man standing behind the desk with a dumbfounded expression upon his wrinkled face, while a few others in the room also looked at her like she had lost her mind

 _Is staring all these people know how to do?_ Emi thought irately as she took the steps two at a time in order to get away from those stares.

Emi detested it when people stared at her; everywhere she went she could always feel people's eyes boring into her, trying to make heads or tails of what she was. She never felt the harsh gazes of people's eyes when she was little, it was only after her father was taken away and that her and her mother were taken in by Emi's uncle that she began to notice that everyone stared at her like she was some sort of an oddity.

 _"I am a person too!"_ She had always wanted to scream.

Emi fumbled with the key to the lock to her room briefly before she was able to open the door. She stepped quickly inside.

 _Forget them._ She told herself as she closed the door a little harder than she intended, locking it in the process.

With the speed of lighting Emi quickly removed her skirt sighing with relief when it was removed from her body, and put her trousers back on feeling much more comfortable than before.

Emi plopped down on the bed feeling mentally exhausted from the day's events; Emi closed her eyes and began to breathe deeply trying to mediate in order to calm herself (she always had a way of working herself up into a frenzy when there was no real reason to do so). Mediation was something Emi would sometimes use in order to calm the storms stirring within her however mediation was not helping clam Emi this time.

All she could see were several different pairs of eyes staring at her; disapproving glances, disgusted gazes, shock and awe that such a person as her existed, then of course hatred. Only one person had ever looked upon Emi with absolute hatred; her grandfather.

But even amongst all the detesting stares Emi remembered one pair of eyes that looked at her as just a person and those were the gentle, tired jade green eyes of Nadir.

Nadir was the first one to ever look at Emi as though she was just a person. It was unclear to her if the man was just being polite, or if it was because he himself was a foreigner as she was and felt a sense of kinship between them. Either way it put the smallest of smiles upon Emi's thin face to know that there was one person in the world that did not look upon her with disgust.

Her thoughts were then lead to wonder about the arrogant man, Erik, that she would soon be in charge of. She wondered if he were not blind would he see her as a person, or some sort of bug that needed to be exterminated. What sort of eyes would look at her everyday as she worked if they could see?

 _Baka!_ Emi scolded herself _Why are you thinking of such pointless things?_

Feeling completely drained of energy, Emi settled her small frame across the bed, her head nestled into the soft goose feather pillows. It did not take long for Emi to drift off for an afternoon nap, dreaming of a pair of glistening amber colored eyes that did not look at her but gazed deep into the depths of her soul. As to what emotion lay within those strange colored irises Emi could not tell.

 **And thus another chapter has ended.**

 **Have a safe weekend everyone! See you in chapter six!**


	6. Chapter 6

**WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE CONTENT AHEAD!**

 **OOOOHHHHH, you guys got so lucky to get this chapter ahead of schedule! I hope you enjoy this chapter, because not only is this chapter entirely Erik based but as of now this chapter took the most work to make. So enjoy!**

Chapter Six: Unable to Understand

"Erik," Nadir called as he knocked loudly on the door to Erik's room, "are you finished pouting?"

On the other side of the door Erik sat at his old drafting table, reminiscing of the days when he would draw up blue prints for buildings. He remembered visualizing such magnificent and wonderful structures within his mind. He could remember drawing up the plans to his work, sometimes never breaking away from the table until his draft was perfect. Erik enjoyed the process of watching one of his buildings being constructed right before his eyes, always a persistent pest to the entire crew by looking over their shoulders at every turn during the time of construction. He would not allow a single one of his creations to be flawed in anyway, even if it was a micro detail, Erik would hound the workmen until every single detail of his building was perfect). Then finally seeing his work complete, exactly how he saw it in his mind's eye, was something Erik could not describe in mere words. It was a feeling of satisfaction mixed with happiness that stirred within him whenever he saw one of his architectural masterpieces in the real world. The emotions inside of him were ones he rarely experienced as a small child, so whenever such gleefulness suddenly sprang inside of him he allowed himself to indulge in the feeling, before the cruel world would tear it away from him with its ugliness.

Erik's jaw suddenly clenched, and his hands that had been resting upon the table slowly took on the forms of fists that were clenched so tightly that the skin around them turned almost as white as bone. Erik could see the work he wanted to create, not just architectural works but drawings, paintings, and his beloved music as well. He wanted to create the beauty that lay within his mind, but he had no way of sharing his work with the world now.

His body began to tremble with pure rage as he remembered the very last thing is ever saw; a victorious, jeering over him as he pitched Erik into a world of darkness.

"Damn you!" Erik screamed as he slammed his fists down on the table, "Damn you, you fucking bastard!"

"Erik?"

Erik turned his head sharply in the direction of which he heard Nadir's voice originate from, he wondered for a split second how he had missed the sound of the door being open.

"Erik, are you okay?"

He could not see the look of concern on Nadir's face, but he sensed the emotion within his voice as spoke to Erik.

"Go away!" Erik snapped, turning away from Nadir, but the man was not giving up.

"Erik, you are acting like a child." He spoke in the condescending voice that enraged Erik even further.

"I just want to be left alone." Erik spoke through clenched teeth, "Is that so hard for you to understand? Perhaps I should try speaking in your native language, Persian, maybe then you would understand me."

"Piss off." Was Nadir's retort. "But I didn't come here to argue with you, Erik. I came here to tell you something."

"Then state your business and go away." Erik's patience was becoming thinner and thinner.

"I hired that young woman that was here earlier today, Emily Young, to be a full time staff member here. She'll be arriving in the morning."

A strange sensation that felt like a small bolt of electricity shot its way through Erik's veins.

"You did what?" Erik roared.

Nadir did not answer him.

Erik could hear Nadir's footsteps making their way towards the door to exit the room.

"Oy!" Erik called over his shoulder, "Did I just hear you correctly, Persian?"

Still no answer from Nadir.

 _God damn it!_

Erik rose quickly from his seat and made haste after Nadir's footsteps.

"Don't tell me you seriously hired that girl, Persian!"

Using Nadir's racial nickname was not working in Erik's favor to get an answer from his so called friend.

When Erik reached the door frame of his room he hesitated slightly before wondering out beyond his familiar territory. He listened carefully for Nadir; he could hear the sound of footsteps fading away to the right. Erik's bare feet moved carefully across the smooth wooden floor, his long arms slightly outstretched allowing him to detect any possible obstacles that might be in his path.

 _Fils de pute!_ Erik mentally cursed Nadir.

Erik continued to listen carefully for any sounds of Nadir's whereabouts; he could hear the faint footfalls of someone descending the stairs and concluded that Nadir was making his way down them.

Erik stretched his left arm out further in order to locate the banister to the stairs. He found the wall first with his hand but, it did not take long for the tips of his skeletal fingers to brush against the aged wood of the banister. Once found Erik quickly placed his hand atop the banister and used it as a guide to help him find the stairs.

His pace had quickened a little once the banister had been found but he continued to proceed with caution. A second later the path of the banister changed from going in a straight line to turning slightly to the left and at a downward angle.

Erik had discovered the stairs.

Veering left as well, Erik proceded to make his way down the stairs, counting the number of each one he stepped on so he could remember how many steps he would have to take on his way back up to his room.

 _Un, deux, trios._

Erik could no longer hear Nadir's footsteps, and decided to pick up the pace slightly in order to make it off the stairs as quick as possible.

 _Quatre, cinq, se-_

"Merde!" Erik shouted as he tripped over his own feet.

His heart seemed to almost come to a complete stop as he felt himself falling headlong into the remaining stairs. Panic overtook him as he continued his descent; he could hear nothing but the sound of air rushing past him as he fell further and the faint cry of someone calling his name in dismay before colliding right into a figure.

Erik felt a pair of arms wrap quickly around his upper torso, using all the strength they had to keep him upright, along with someone's labored breathing.

"Erik!"

"Nadir?"

Erik's hallowed cheeks flushed red with anger; he tried to push himself away from Nadir and regain his balance on his own but only succeeded in toppling both himself and Nadir over.

Both men tumbled down the remaining stairs and crashed right onto the landing. They both groaned in pain as they pushed themselves off of each other.

"Are you alright?" Nadir asked, sitting down on the first step. He hissed with pain as he rubbed the arm he landed on.

"I'm fine." Erik grumbled leaning against the landings banister, rubbing the right side of his torso.

They had taken a nasty fall but they knew they would be alright, they could tell nothing was broken in either of their bodies, they might have been banged up slightly but they would survive.

It was silent for a moment; nothing could be heard throughout the entire house except for their breathing.

Erik finally spoke up to Nadir, "Why the hell did you get in my way?"

"Quelle?" Nadir shouted, outraged at Erik's question towards him. "You were falling, what the hell was I supposed to do? Sit back and watch you break your neck?"

"I wouldn't have fallen in the first place if you had just answered me to begin with."

"Don't blame this on me you blind connard!"

Nadir heard Erik growling at him, no doubt angry by the insult, but he only ignored him having more than enough of Erik's foolishness.

"You are the one that told me to state my business and leave you alone." Nadir reminded Erik. "I did so, and then you followed me then tripped over your own damn feet."

"I didn't trip over my feet!" Erik sounded much like a child who had been blamed for something he supposedly didn't do.

The very notion that he was clumsy enough to trip over his own feet was absurd to him.

"The hell you didn't! Erik, I stood and watched you."

Erik felt his face turn pink with embarrassment. Nadir noticed this and tried not to laugh at his friend who was once a commanding, dark figure but now resembled a small child embarrassed at their first attempt at trying something new but failing at their first try.

"You were doing well," Nadir complemented, trying to make Erik feel less embarrassed about himself, "until-"

"Shut up!" Erik shouted, transforming back into the stubborn blind fool he had been for the past two years.

Nadir hung his head low in defeat; no matter how hard he tried over the years he could not get his friend to see that being blind did not have to mean the end of his world.

"Erik, what is wrong?" Nadir sounded drained of all his energy.

"Nothing." Erik replied hotly, "I'm fine."

"Erik, for once, forget your pride. Something is bothering you, but you won't say. Why?"

Erik could feel his furry building up in his blood bringing it to a simmer as Nadir spoke gently to him like a parent would do with their child. He knew that Nadir was only trying to get Erik to open about what happened, but he just couldn't bring himself to do so.

 _You just wouldn't understand, Nadir._

"I just want to be left alone." Said Erik in an exasperated tone, "Really, Nadir, is that so for you to understand?"

His last words held a pleading note within his voice that Nadir could not ignore. Whatever was bothering Erik he acted as though it should only be he to deal with it, because no one could possible understand the turmoil within Erik's damaged soul.

 _Stubborn fool._ Nadir thought as he looked over at Erik. _How could I or anyone understand unless you talk about it._

"Okay," Nadir spoke after a minute passed by, "I'll leave you alone, but I will be back to check on you later."

Erik made no objection as Nadir rose to his feet.

"Do you want some help?"

"No," Erik replied so softly Nadir almost missed what he had said, "I am just going to sit here for a few minutes."

"As you wish." Said Nadir before bounding down the stairs to get to work on an unfinished project.

 _I wish Emily all the luck in the world._

Erik waited until he could no longer hear the sounds of Nadir's footsteps before leaning his head against the railing, sighing wearily. He felt as though he had just treaded off a battlefield, and then that triumphant, vicious smile made its way back to the front of Erik's mind again.

 _Damn it!_ He thought, feeling a wave of defeat wash over him. _Damn it._

 **And so another chapter has ended. Fun fact though: I had my boyfriend catch me three times while I fell of my bed to get the scene were Erik falls almost entirely accurate. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and have a Happy Memorial Day!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello, everyone I hope your Memorial Day weekend was great, and after being gone for a week I have returned! First of all I do apologize for the sudden delay in the story, but over the weekend one of my car window's got smashed to pieces and any free time I had was spent speaking with the insurance company (*shudders at the memory of hold music*). Luckily though no one was hurt, the messed got cleaned up (so much glass), and my car is drivable (still waiting on a window though). On the plus side of things though this past weekend was also my friend's son's first birthday (he has discovered the joy of eating cake!). Second a big thank you for the reviews (they really brighten my crappy days) and for those who have stuck with the story thus far, so thank you! More is to come, and I will let you know when I am taking time out to do research. Alright, enough of that here is chapter 7! I hope you enjoy it!**

Chapter 7: Move in Day

As promised Emi returned to the house upon the hill at exactly eight o'clock the next morning, she was both excited and nervous to begin her new role as Erik's caretaker.

 _I wonder what my first day will be like._ Emi wondered as she patiently waited for Nadir to open the oak door once more for her.

Remembering the display she saw with Erik and Nadir the other day, and from what Nadir had told her before about Erik she assumed her first day was going to be quite the challenge.

 _I just hope I can handle whatever may come my way._ She thought as the door opened up before her.

Nadir had barely opened the door when Emily greeted him warmly and brightly, "Bonjour, Nadir. You are looking well today."

"Merci." Said Nadir as he took in the slight changes of the girl from yesterday.

Before, Emily appeared like a nervous young woman with a wobbly smile, and always apologized for the tiniest of mistakes she made. The girl that stood before him now stood with an inner confidence, and wore a smile that was genuine and relaxed. The other day she wore the standard clothing that Nadir had seen many women wear before; a floor length black skirt with a stark white blouse, her hair had also been pulled back from her face with not a single strand out of place. Today Emily's outfit resembled something that a young man might wear; she wore a pair of tan knickers, with an untucked off white shirt that had sleeves that stopped just a few centimeters below her bony elbows. Her brown boots appeared to have traveled more than just a few kilometers in their day (he also noticed that like Erik she too chose to not wear a pair of socks as well, which left a small portion of her thin legs bare). Her hair was pulled back but she allowed a few strands to be free, which framed her delicate face, making her appear much younger than when he last saw her the other day.

"You are looking well yourself." Nadir complimented.

"Merci" said Emily, her smile growing brighter.

Nadir pondered briefly if Emily could outshine the sun with that smile of hers.

"Is that everything you brought with you?" Nadir asked gesturing to her small travel bag and her black coat that she held onto.

"Everything that I own." She said, "It makes it easy to travel quickly when you don't have much."

"Very well," said Nadir unable to find a suitable response, "if you would like to come in I'll show you your room first, then you can begin your work."

Emi nodded and stepped over the threshold of the home for the second time. Once she had entered the darkened house Nadir offered to carry her things for her, but she politely declined tightening her grip on the coat slightly as she told him that what she carried wasn't heavy for her in the slightest and to not trouble himself over it.

Just like the rest of the house (minus Nadir's room) Emi's room was dull and devoid of any color or personality.

"Since this is your room now, feel free to make it like your home." Nadir said kindly.

 _Not possible._ Emi thought sadly, remembering a moment in her childhood when she walked along the shore lines of the beach with her parents. Her mother to one side of her while her father was on the other, both of them holding her tiny hands. She could still hear the ocean waves gently rolling in, mingled with her high pitched carefree laughter as her father told her that she was his silly little girl.

To Emi that was home, a home she would never have or see again.

"Thank you." Said Emi as she stepped across the room and took a quick glance around the surroundings. She noted that the room had come with some basic furniture; a small bed that had white sheets, a bed side table, a dresser and an armoire.

Though Emi's eyes had been accustomed to the darkness of the room she still wanted some light. She walked over to her window to draw back the dark curtains, quoting Genesis as she pulled back the curtains with her free hand.

 _The first thing to be replaced in here will be these curtains._

With the room now flooded with natural light Emi's eyes became drawn to a door that she had overlooked when she first scanned the room.

 _What the hell?_

Using her index finger to point to the mysterious door, she asked Nadir where the door lead to.

Nadir's eyes followed the direction in which Emily was pointing to.

"Oh, that," Nadir said when his eyes fell upon the door in question, "that is your washroom."

"Nani?!" Emi could not help but scream excitedly, causing Nadir to jump at the unexpected reaction.

"Eh? _Na-nee?_ " he muttered to himself as he watched an excited Emily rush over to the door that lead to her washroom, practically ripping the door off the hinges in her happiness.

"Oh my!" Emi sighed, eyes glistening with pure delight as she gazed at her very own, private, washroom.

 _My own tub!_ She screamed gleefully in her mind as she eyed the porcelain object like one would a lover.

 _No more sharing public washrooms!_

There was no mistaking the controlled amusement in Nadir's voice as he spoke from directly behind her, "I hope that is okay."

Emi felt her entire face turn a new shade of red from embarrassment.

 _Baka!_ She called herself.

She scraped up the small amount dignity she had left and slowly closed the door without uttering a single word.

She turned to face Nadir.

Taking a deep breath Emi raised her head to meet her gaze directly with Nadir's and said, "I suppose this will suffice."

Nadir could not control the laughter that erupted forth from him.

The deep rich sound of his laughter filled the small room, and caused Emi's cheeks to flush pink with further embarrassment.

 _Emi, you are a complete and utter idiot._

"Forgive me," Nadir spoke between his laughter, "I have just never seen anyone get so excited about having their own washroom before."

"It's the simple things in life, I suppose."

"Indeed," Nadir agreed, trying his damn best to straighten up. "I must admit though, Emily that really completed my lifetime though."

"Glad I could be of some service." Emi spoke dryly.

It took a moment for Nadir to regain his composure before replying to Emily.

"You could be of some more service."

Emi raised an eyebrow, "How so?"

"I hate to throw you into the fire so early this morning, but could you go check in on Erik?"

A charming grin spread its way along Emi's pink lips, "Is that not the job I was hired for?"

"So it is," Nadir said smiling, "so it is."

A sudden thought quickly raced across Emi's mind.

"What if Erik is not up yet?"

"If that is the case then let him sleep," Nadir answered simply, "but check on him every hour until he wakes up."

 _He makes it sounds as though Erik is somewhat suicidal._ Emi did not dismiss that thought so easily; after all Erik had vision until two years ago, it would not surprise her greatly if someone tried to take their own life over the sudden loss of their sight. She hated to assume that the man would kill himself over something such as that, but she would not pretend the possibility did not exist either.

Emi hoped Nadir did not catch the slight sheepish tone in her voice when she spoke, "And when he wakes up?"

"I'll let you two figure that out."

"Helpful advice, Nadir." Emi grumbled.

Nadir shrugged his shoulders innocently and gave her an apologetic grin.

"I'll figure something out." she forced out a small smile.

"I knew it was a good choice to hire you. Now if you'll excuse me I have some work to catch up on. If you need me I'll be in my office."

Nadir left Emi alone in her room, with his presence gone the room seemed emptier than before.

"Well," Emi said to herself, "better get to work."

As Emi placed her belongings down on the bed she could hear the echoes of Nadir's laughter, ringing throughout her mind, serving as a reminder of how ridiculous she had acted only a few minutes ago.

 _Something tells me that he is never going to let me live that down._ Emi dreadfully thought as she made her way to Erik's room.

 **And so ends another chapter...yeah, I know it is weird. But next chapter I promise Emi and Erik will begin to interact with each other. Will it go well? Who knows? Not sure when the next update will be next week, but there will be an update. Until then take care!**


	8. Chapter 8

**You would have gotten this chapter the other day, but…**

 **Roommate: "Wanna watch a movie?"**

 **Me: "I don't know, I should really type up this next chapter"**

 **Roommate: "You know you want to." *Goes and picks out the movie Pandorum***

 **Me to myself:** ** _A few minutes won't hurt._**

 **One hour later…**

 **Me: "I need to know what happened!"**

 ***Movie ends and I go to bed, while roommate watches youtube***

 **Hello, everyone as you can see from the previous note up above I was going to put up this chapter sooner, but my roommate got me sucked into watching Pandorum (If you like psychological scariness in space then I suggest checking it out I will warn you it does get a little gross in some places). Okay enough with that, moving on. First off a few updates on the "behind the scenes" of Perception *hangs head in shame at saying that while laughing at myself*. Bleaky thank you for your concern about the car window, I still has a trash bag to cover the damage but at least I still has my radio. And to AliceHeart247 thumbs up to you for recognizing the Japanese words! Also, just a little fun fact my boyfriend does help me out with the story from research to acting out some scenes. Also (and I know I say this in almost every chapter but…) thank you to everyone for your thoughtful comments they really do make my day, and I hope this chapter makes your day as well. Hope you guys enjoy the chapter! Also; WARNING! SOME STRONG LANGUAGE AHEAD!**

 ***jumps behind the barricade once again***

Chapter Eight: First Day

Emi stood outside Erik's door for what felt like ages to her, but in reality it had only been five minutes at the most.

She did nothing but stare at the door, her legs trembled slightly from the nervousness she felt. She almost felt as nervous as the day she first came to the house inquiring about the job that she now had.

 _Get over yourself, Emi._ She ordered of herself, _You already met the man. There is no reason to be this nervous._

She stood before the door and continued to look at it without moving a single muscle in her body; the more she stared at the door the smaller she began to feel and began to feel somewhat intimated by the inanimate object.

 _Maybe I'm not cut out for this._ Her weaker side whispered lowly.

Her inner pride shouted, _Where is this attitude coming from? You never felt this nervous for any other job you had in the past!_

 _That's right!_ She agreed with herself. _I have worked alongside men who thought little of me, but I proved them wrong. I'll be damned if this man makes me feel like a wilting flower._

Pride had taken over; suddenly the door didn't feel as intimidating as it had before. Emi now saw it as just some object that was obstructing her path.

Emi raised her right arm and knocked on the door, calling out to Erik.

"Erik, it's me, Emily. How are you?"

No reply.

Emi knocked on the door again, "Erik," she raised her voice slightly, "How are you in there?"

She waited a few more minutes, but still no response from Erik.

 _Third time's a charm._

"Erik," the sound of Emi's knocking and her voice increased, "How are you doing in there?"

Emi exhaled a sigh; she could not help but feel like she had been somewhat cheated on her first day.

 _He must still be asleep._ She assumed while curling her long slender fingers around the door handle.

The very second Emi had opened the door she was assaulted by Erik's sharp tongue.

"Who the hell said you could come in?!"

"Eeeeeek!" Emi shrieked while quickly covering her eyes with both of her hands.

She had just walked in on the middle of Erik getting dressed.

"Gomen'nasai! Gomen'nasai! Gomen'nasai!" She yelled over and over again.

"Get out!" Erik roared.

Emi didn't have to be told twice; she shut her eyes tightly before swiftly removing her hands from her face and using them to slam the door shut between the two them.

Once she was safely back out in the hallway Emi still kept her eyes closed and then proceeded to scold herself.

"Baka!" She screamed at herself as she pounded her head fiercely against the wall. "Baka! Baka! Baka!"

She finally ceased her self inflicted harming when she felt the effects of a headache began to settle across her forehead.

 _At least he had his trousers on._

Her eyes quickly rounded as she remembered the brief flash she saw of Erik before covering her eyes. When Emi had opened the door she had seen Erik standing by his bedside, his chest bare wearing a pair of black trousers that he had yet to button up. She just barely remembered seeing the pale white shirt that he held in his hands and she had also had seen that he had yet to wrap his black blindfold around his head.

Her cheeks began to grow hot as she remembered the quick encounter and her face turned a deeper shade of crimson than when she had embarrassed herself earlier in front of Nadir.

Using her left hand she covered her eyes quickly and tried to remove the image from her mind. She let her mind wondered to various memories she could think of at the top her mind from sandy beaches, to bright tulip fields, and to the hustle and bustle of the harbors but try as she might Emi could not remove a shirtless Erik from her mind. It seemed as though that image was now branded into her memory bank.

 _Emi, stop thinking about him!_ She ordered herself harshly, _Stop conjuring up his image you little pervert!_

It was of no use; she tried thinking of various images from her memory again and again but all thoughts seemed to lead back to her most recent image of Erik.

"How I am going to face him now?" she groaned turning her back to the wall and sliding down until she came to rest on the cool floor.

She pulled her knees up to her chest and lowered her head, trying to hide away from her own foolishness. Emi had never felt so embarrassed in her entire life.

Ten minutes had passed before the door to Erik's bedroom had opened again. Emi had been wrapped up in her small self loathing party that she did not even hear the door open or even notice Erik's presence until he said to her, "What are you mumbling about?"

Emi's head shot up and she was relieved to see Erik fully dressed as he was the other day when she first met him.

"Nothing." Emily said quickly as she rose to her feet, "Nothing at all."

By the way Erik's face was set with a scowl Emi knew that he did not believe a word she had just told him.

"Sure." Erik said dryly, stretching out the word he spoke.

 _Well this is going well._

Neither Emi nor Erik spoke a word to each other. They just stood facing each other; Emi looking up at Erik with a jagged, timid smile feeling like a gigantic fool. And Erik looking down directly in to Emi's direction, the scowl never left his face, feeling beyond annoyed with this arrangement that his so called friend Nadir had arranged.

 _Some friend._ Erik thought darkly.

The silence stretched on making Emi's nerves stand on end. She wanted to say something but her mind had seemed to shut down on its own accord in order to safe herself from further embarrassment. She wanted Erik to say something, anything, just to break the roaring silence between them. For a while she thought he wasn't going to say a single word but was quickly relived when he demanded, "Who said you could come in to my room?"

"Sorry," Emi apologized sincerely, "I knocked and called out to you, but you didn't answer."

"So, that gave you the right to enter my room?"

"I didn't know if you were still asleep or not."

"You could have just left me alone."

Emi could feel her ire begin to rise steadily towards Erik. She did not appreciate the way that he was trying to make the entire accident seem like her fault. She had to summon all of her will power to keep her emotions in check; she wanted to get through this small matter as calmly as possible without losing her temper.

"You couldn't have called out to tell me what you were doing?" Emi's voice was cool and even as she spoke. "You could have spared us both the embarrassment."

"You could have spared yourself the embarrassment if you hadn't entered my room without my permission."

"Don't make it seem like it was entirely my fault." she snapped

It was apparent to Emi that the idea of handling the situation calmly was now lost.

Feeling brave she took a few steps closer to Erik, he noticed this and drew himself up to his full height in order to keep her away from him and to intimidate her. The trick did not work, not only that but it angered Emi further that he would use his height to try and frighten her.

 _Do you think me so weak and timid that I would be scared by your height alone?_

"You are also to blame as well," Emi spoke sharply, looking up at Erik. She had now crossed the border and was now in his personal space. "because you were too stupid to even call out to me and say what you were doing."

A low menacing growl escaped from Erik's throat; his jaw clenched in unmistakable rage and a surge of intense anger ran through his veins like an electric current.

"What the hell did you just say?"

Emi stood her ground.

"You heard me." Emi stated boldly, "I know your hearing is not impaired."

"Putain!"

"Kuso yaro!"

Both Emi and Erik stood their ground firmly; Fists tightly clenched at their sides, teeth grinding, and nostrils flaring. They resembled a couple of dogs snarling at each other ready to rip each other apart.

"Listen, girl," Erik growled, "you're wasting your time here, because I don't want or need your help."

With that said Erik turned his back on Emi and retreated to his room, slamming the door with such force that it sounded like a crack of lighting.

 _Don't you walk away from me!_

Emi rushed over to Erik's bedroom door, fuming with rage that he had turned and walked away from her, and with one of her clenched fists she delivered a single punch to the door.

"You listen to me, Erik!" she yelled, "Whether you want my help in any way is entirely your choice, but Nadir hired me to watch over you and that is what I am going to do.

You can piss and moan and bitch about this situation all you want, but like it or not I am not leaving. And that Erik is a promise I swear to you."

 **And so ends another chapter. Don't worry they will be back in the next chapter. See you in the next chapter, and until then take care everyone!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello everyone and welcome back! I hope you enjoyed the last chapter, because I must confess I had way too much fun writing it *giggles*. Okay let's get a few things out of the way; first in regards to a comment towards Emi's name the answer is it is** **not** **from twilight, I wish I could explain Emi's name further but that would be spoilers, but I can give you this little fun fact: When I was writing the story I was actually stuck for a last name for Emi at the moment, as I was thinking of a surname I began to remember a classmate of mine that had the word young in her surname. With nothing better off the top of my head I picked the name Young, and it just stuck. Ta da! Emi's name will be explained further as the story rolls on. Second, thank you guys for the wonderful comments! I hope you enjoy this chapter (because I actually had to cut and edit it, so…yeah)**

 ***ducks behind the barricade***

Chapter Nine: Sixth Sense

From within his room Erik heard a loud thump from the other side of the door; he thought of Emily hitting the door with her fist, and hurting her hand in the process. It brought a sadistic smile to his face at the thought of her cradling the injured hand, hissing with the pain from the sting of her injury. He cursed his blindness (not for the first time) that he did not know what she looked like so that he may have a clear image of an injured Emily.

 _But if I could see her she wouldn't be here, and I wouldn't be having this thought._ Erik thought logically.

It seemed as though she had not hurt herself as badly as Erik had hoped for; he did not hear any sound from her that indicated that she did indeed hurt her hand, instead she continued to screech at him. Erik was able to ignore most of what Emily had been screaming at him, but it was her last remark that caused his lips to curl into a twisted parody of a smile.

 _"I am not leaving. And that Erik is a promise I swear to you."_

He found it rather ironic that not long ago he would have given his life to hear those words come from a certain woman's delicate rose red lips, but now his body entire body tensed with dread at hearing those words rush out of Emily's mouth.

"Oh, how life can be a cruel mistress!" Erik muttered under his breath.

The next sound he heard were her small footsteps stomping down the hallway.

 _Well you made good on your word._

"Putain." Erik growled, turning on heel to retreat further back into his room.

He needed no guidance of any sort to help navigate his way around his room. He had practically lived in the room itself for two years now and had the layout memorized down to the last tiniest detail.

He sighed heavily as he sat down on the edge of his bed, feeling like a soldier who had just returned from the battlefield. With Emily gone Erik could feel his aggressive emotions slowly dwindle away, allowing him to calm down, but they threatened to flare up once more when his thoughts turned to Emily once more.

He could not tolerate Emily being near him, let alone just being in the house, but he also admired her. As much as it pained him to admit it he admired the girl who stood her ground against him. Most sensible men would back down when they sensed Erik's wrath upon them, and women would generally cower away from him in fear, but not Emily. No, she was different.

He had sensed how deadly close she had been to him, her nearness had actually made him want to take a step back in order to put some distance between them. He had resisted the urge to do so, because he would have felt humiliated if he allowed some tiny girl to make him feel intimidated.

Though Erik could not see her he knew that she was shorter than him by way of listening to her voice, and deducing the location of where her voice originated. He also knew that she was not putting up a front when arguing with him; it was easy for him to believe that Emily had only been acting boldly in front of him to show that she was not afraid of him, but then Erik would have been lying to himself. He could tell by the strength and clarity in her speech that she was not so easily intimidated, and judging by her accent he knew that she was not native to France or any Western part of Europe for that matter. He found that particular detail about her quite odd especially with a name like Emily Young. It was not just her voice that also peaked Erik's curiosity about her, but there was also something within her that Erik could sense that he could only describe as a fire.

In the short time that he had been near her he could sense some sort of inner strength that glowed like a flame that could quickly form into a wildfire. Even before he lost his eyesight Erik could always sense another part of a person that they kept hidden deep within them. The people that Erik had encountered over the years had almost always been the same, but still possessed something within them that made them differ from each other in some small way. In his whole life Erik had only met two people that were set apart from the rest of the world. There was Nadir who carried the tendencies of stone; strength, and stability, but if cracked open one would discover what was really beneath the dull exterior. Then there was the one woman who Erik had ever loved who could shine like the brilliance of the sun, but that brilliant shine could disappear behind the turbulent clouds of emotion. But Emily was different; she radiated a strange spark of light that outshined both Nadir and Erik's lost love.

Emily radiated a strange flame of light that Erik had never sensed before. This fire he sensed within Emily was some sort of strength, but among that strength there was something else as well. There was something else within Emily that Erik had sensed; it was small, like a gemstone, though hard to sense at first he knew it was there surrounded by the flames that hid it away. Guarding, protecting it from the rest of the world.

The question was what was it that Emily kept hidden within herself?

Erik smirked to himself; he now understood what other's curiosity felt like when they wondered what lay hidden behind the mask he used to wear. How life had turned the tables on him.

"So this is what their curiosity felt like." Erik spoke out loud, wondering what it was that Emily was hiding.

 **And so ends another chapter.**

 **Glossary of words/phrases (and correct me if I am wrong because I am not so good with second languages, but hey I am learning). P.S these will be roughly translated**

 **Japanese Words/Phrases:**

 **Hai – Yes**

 **Baka – Idiot**

 **Shinigami – (A) God of Death/Death Spirit**

 **Mekura- blind man**

 **Nani - What**

 **Gomen'nasai – sorry**

 **Kuso Yaro – bastard (or you bastard)**

 **French Words/Phrases:**

 **Mademoiselle – Miss**

 **Quelle – what**

 **Fils de pute – son of a bitch**

 **Putain – slut/whore/bitch**

 **Wow! That ended on a nice note! Take care and see you in the next chapter!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Oh, boy here it is chapter 10! I know some of you have been waiting awhile for this chapter so I am going to make this quick. As always thank you for your wonderful comments/reviews! And I have nothing left to say because I basically just worked on this chapter all week and went to work. Hope you guys enjoy it!**

Chapter 10: Impasse

Emi stomped back to her room fuming with heated anger. She muttered curses and obscenities towards Erik both in French and her mother language, she even uttered a Dutch comment that she had picked up years ago. The extent of her vibrant vocabulary would have made the crudest of sailors blush like a lady.

"Kuso yaro!" Emi shouted, slamming the door to her room shut.

Ignoring her belongings that she had placed on the bed Emi dove down onto her bed face first. The plain white covers muffled her frustrated groans.

"Jack ass!" she cursed Erik again.

So far Emi's first day consisted of being embarrassed twice, and getting into an all out argument with the one person she was being paid to look after.

"Well this is going well." Said Emi sarcastically as she rolled onto her back.

Emi threw her left arm over her face and tried to breathe evenly and calmly. She needed a few minutes to not only calm down, but to also think of a way to mend the previous incident that happened between her and Erik. Although common curtsy and logic had told her to go back and apologize pride had shouted out; _Not a chance in Hell!_

"Baka should have told me that he was getting dressed." Emi grumbled.

The image of Erik dressing once again invaded the front of her mind.

"Gah!" Emi screamed, throwing her hands over her eyes as if to block out the image. "Stop that! Stop that! Stop that!" she demanded of herself. "Why are you still thinking about him like that?"

Emi had only caught a small glimpse of Erik improperly dressed, hardly enough time to see anything at all but it was just enough to leave a lasting impression on her.

"Why?" Emi asked out loud to the empty room, "Why is this affecting me so?"

She removed her hands from her face and stared blankly up at the ceiling, clouds of doubt began to move in.

 _Perhaps I'm not cut out for this-Shut up!_ She quickly scolded herself, _Stop doubting yourself, you can do this job. Just take a moment to calm down and get back to work._

Taking her own advice Emi closed her eyes and began to take deep, even breaths; breathing in and out through her nose. Her meditation process was slowly taking affect on her frazzled nerves. She was in a calm state of mind when the image of a shirtless Erik began to bleed through the darkness of her closed eyelids. Emi's nerves were about to become unhinged again, but something in the image caught her attention.

She allowed herself to explore the small detail that seemed to cry out to her; Emi focused in on the area of Erik's torso, and through the lack of lighting she began to see a mark on the side of his torso; the mark was thin and jagged looking, it looked as though it covered the length of his long torso. The mark reminded Emi of an image of a river that you would see on a map.

 _A scar?_

Emi's eyelids suddenly flew open of their own accord, ridding the image from her mind, as if her mind was telling her to cease her curiosity lest she begin to asking questions about the alleged scar, which she knew she was not allowed to ask Erik such questions.

Emi tried to convince herself that she had just made the image of the scar up to serve as a poor excuse to think about Erik in a degrading way, but even she knew that was a lie. No, what Emi saw was in no way a figment of her imagination but what she really saw before she hastily covered her eyes.

"Don't ask." Emi warned herself.

Sighing heavily she pushed herself up into a sitting position. She felt calmer but she in no way felt any better or worse than before, but she could feel her sympathy towards Erik deepen ever so slightly.

"Right then, "she breathed, "try again." She said rising from the bed and making her way back to Erik's room.

As Emi walked back to Erik's room she wondered briefly if she should ask Erik about the scar she saw on his torso. She wanted to ask, but against her own will she thought better of the idea. Not only was it because of what Nadir had told her about asking questions, but she herself knew that there were some parts of a person's past that they are not willing to discuss. Especially when someone abruptly asks them.

God knew that Emi was not willing to discuss her past, even if someone asked her about her life.

Though it pained her to do so she turned a blind eye to the issue, deciding not to bring up the question of the supposed scar.

 _I guess we play it by ear._ Emi decided as she approached Erik's door.

This time Emi knocked once then let herself in to the room.

Inside Erik sat on the edge of his bed with both of his hands resting soundly on his knees. They clenched at the fabric of his black trousers when he heard Emi enter the room.

"Please do come in." said Erik sarcastically.

Emi only ignored him as she made her way in to the room; with Erik's non-existent gaze following her every move.

Emi came to stand directly in front of Erik; she looked down at him her emotions in check and in a neutral zone. He in turn directed his head up at her, not seeing her but knowing that she was standing directly in front of him. He kept a strong grip on his own emotions.

Had Erik not have been blind they would have been staring directly into each other's intense gaze.

They were in a sense back to where they had begun; both standing their ground, ready to defend if need be, and each one waiting for the other to make the first move. Only this time there was an eerie silence that covered the room and added to the tense atmosphere that the two created.

Erik was the first to cave in their mental game, "What?" he finally asked.

"I told you," Emi spoke calmly and coolly, "I am not leaving."

"You're wasting your time."

"I made a promise. I even swore to you that I am not leaving."

Without an invitation (or even waiting for one) Emi took a seat on the floor directly in front of Erik. She propped her sharp elbows up on her crossed legs and rested her chin on the palms of her hands.

"I've made my move," Emi said looking directly up at Erik, whose head had followed the sound of her voice and was now looking down upon her with a frown. "Now it's your turn."

For awhile Erik just sat there on his bed staring down at Emi, his face set in a studious manner. She knew his attention was not directed towards her but his focus was on the choices he could choose to make at this point, calculating the outcome of every move, trying to decide which would be the best course of action to take.

After some time had passed he had made his decision.

Without a word Erik rose up from the bed and walked around Emi. She followed his movements and waited for what he was going to do next.

It was nothing exciting.

Erik walked across his room and came to sit at his old drafting table, turning his back on her. Erik made himself as comfortable as possible at the table, ignoring Emi who continued to watch Erik even as he just sat there with his back to her, pretending that she didn't exist in his sightless world, she watched and waited to see which one of them would be the one to make the next move.

 **And so ends another chapter…**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed it, because this one actually went through more editing and revising than anything else (so far) alright ya'll I am heading to bed now (so tired…zzzz). Take care and see you in chapter 11!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Mom: "So how is the online story thing going?"**

 **Me: "Pretty well I guess. I mean people seem to like the story."**

 **Mom: "That is good, now when are you going to post the next chapter?"**

 **Me: "As soon as I write it."**

 **Mom: "But you can't keep your fans waiting for too long!"**

 **Me: "But I need to structure everything first."**

 **Mom: "Write!"**

 **Me: "Moooom!"**

 **Mom: "He-he-he-he!"**

 **Hello everyone! I am back! Sorry for not posting this chapter up sooner but I basically went down the rabbit hole when I decided to do some research for the story (all for later chapters), and again we have another chapter that went through a ton of editing and rewrites before I said "This is it!" and to which the roommate replies "Finally!". As always I want to thank everyone for their reviews and comments, and I know all of you are waiting to read this chapter so I am going to keep this short (if that is even possible). Also I am not sure when the next chapter will be up next week, my boyfriend is coming over for the holiday weekend (teehee!), and is hopefully is going to help me do some research…after all the fun stuff of course. Anyway, thanks once again everyone and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Chapter 11: Ask me a Question

St. Dymphna, France (The Region of Brittany)

Spring, 1884

One month later…

One month. Exactly to the date, one single month had passed since Emi moved to the small, remote village of St. Dymphna and began her new life and job as Erik's caretaker. The day also marked the stalemate between her and Erik as well.

Ever since that day when Emi had declared to Erik that she intended on staying the two had barely spoken a word to each other.

Their interactions (or lack thereof) had become a daily routine for Emi. Every morning she would rise and go and check in on Erik. To avoid any repeats of what happened on Emi's first day the two had adopted a silent code between them; Emi would knock on the door and call out to Erik, usually on the first knock he would either call out "dressing" or his favorite phrase "go away". If Erik did not answer her by the third or fourth knock she would peek her head in to make sure that he was alright, and on the very rare occasions that she had to enter his room without him knowing she had always found him still asleep and left him alone for an hour before checking in on him again. When Emi was given a clear single she would enter the room and sit with him for about an hour or two, he always at his drafting table with his back to her and she on the floor with eyes boring into his back. Afterwards she would check in with Nadir to see if there was some house hold task that needed to be done; usually there was something for Emi to do but if there was nothing to be done around the house she would usually spend her day with Erik in absolute silence.

For the first few days Emi tried to engage Erik into some casual small talk, hoping that it would lead him into actually opening up and talk to her. Her plan had failed miserably.

On the first day Emi attempted small talk she asked him how he was doing. He did not say a word. The next day her bold curiosity wanted to know what he and Nadir did (she was a little curious to know exactly how the two of them earned an income in order to live here in some comfort, and pay her for her service). He had turned his head in her direction, but said nothing, his facial expression said it all; _None of your damn business._

Her third attempt at starting small talk had gotten more of a reaction out of him.

"What's your favorite sound, Erik?" Emi had asked absently while creating invisible designs on the smooth wooden floor with the tip of her index finger.

As usual Erik did not say a single word to her; Emi had assumed that he was doing what he had always done, ignore her, but when she lifted her gaze from the floor to him she found a rather distraught sight before her; Erik hunched over the table with his hands covering his ears.

 _Oh, how childish!_ Emi had thought, but when she heard a sob emit from him she knew something was not right.

"Erik?" she prodded delicately, "Erik, are you alright?"

He did not answer her, but a cry wracked through his slim body and her heart went out to him.

"Erik?" Emi asked with concern as she rose from her place on the floor, "Erik is everything okay?"

As she got closer to him she could see his shoulders trembling.

"Erik?" she carefully laid one of her hands on one of Erik's bony shoulders, unsure of what to do.

As soon as her fingers made contact with the fabric of his silk robe he jolted up from his seat causing her to quickly remove her hand from him as she jumped back at the sudden surprise of his quick movement.

With hurried steps Erik made his way to his own washroom, no doubt he not only wanted a barrier between them but some privacy as well, which Emi had granted him without argument.

Emi had resigned herself to sitting outside the door of the washroom (for the off chance that Erik might actually need her help). Her heart broke as she listened to the man cry for something she knew nothing about, and how she was powerless to help him through his emotional turmoil.

The next day had resumed as normal, as if Erik's breakdown had never happened at all. They continued on as before; Emi watching Erik and Erik ignoring Emi in total silence. Neither one willing to bring up what had happened the previous day.

Emi had ceased trying to make small talk with Erik, and just settled in as the role as a caretaker and only asked if there was anything she could do to help him, and of course she still received no answer from him. Emi eventually fell silent as well and only spoke to Erik if was necessary (which was not often).

Her days spent with Erik were dull and lifeless; she now believed what Erik had said to her on her first day, that she was wasting her time. She was wasting her time; the time she spent sitting on the floor waiting for Erik to make the first move was time wasted, with all that time Emi could have tried a little harder to make some semblance of progress with Erik instead of allowing him to sulk like a spoiled child.

Emi had finally decided that enough was enough; nothing was ever going to happen if the two of them stubbornly waited the other out in their insane mental game. Emi couldn't wait, if she wanted any progress to be made it was she who was going to have to make the first move.

Just like any other day since she began her role as a caretaker Emi sat on the floor of Erik's dark room, adjusted eyes staring directly at his rigid back. The only difference this time was that Emi was gathering up the courage to put her new idea into action.

 _What if it fails?_ A little voice inside of her wondered.

 _Then I suppose we continue on as we have until I come up with a different course of action._

Taking a deep breath Emi pushed herself to her feet and made her way across the room to Erik quickly before she could even think about changing her mind. She saw Erik's back stiffen as she stopped just a short distance away from him.

Emi observed the physical gap between her and Erik; it would be easy to close that gap, all Emi would have to do would be to take just a few small steps forward and her and Erik would be standing side by side. The metaphorical gap between them was another question; it wouldn't be as simple as taking a few steps towards someone to close the rift, but if the idea of Emi's worked then it could mean the starting point of closing the massive distance that lay between them.

"Ask me a question."

"Quelle?" by the tone of his voice Erik seemed baffled by her request.

Emi repeated patiently, "Ask me a question."

"Why?" Erik asked cautiously.

Emi smiled to herself; pleased that she appeared to be making some sort of head way with Erik.

"Because I do not seem to be good at picking a subject for conversation." Emi had explained. "So, you ask me a question, Erik."

Without a trace of shyness Erik asked, "Where are you from?"

She winced slightly at the question, like it was a sting from an unexpected blow. She was afraid of discussing the subject of her nationality, but it seemed there was no avoiding the topic now. Erik had asked her a question and she intended to answer it, in order to build a bridge between them.

"Nippon."

Erik spoke as if he did not hear her correctly, "Nippon?"

"Sorry," Emi explained, "I suppose here in the West you would call it Japan."

"Oh." Erik said coolly, trying to keep his interest hidden. "So, I would assume you are Japanese then?"

"Sort of…" Emi hesitantly answered.

" 'Sort of'? You either are or you are not. Which is it?"

Emi hesitated, she could feel herself shaking just like the first time she had come to the house. She took a breath; she had come too far now to just end it all. Even though she was afraid of what Erik's reaction might be when she told him the truth she answered his question.

"Technically…I am half Japanese."

Erik did not respond.

Silence had fallen between them once more.

 **And so another chapter has ended…**

 **Alright be honest; how many of you guys saw that coming? (laughing for no reason)…man I am tired. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, take care and have a save weekend and I will see you in chapter 12!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey everyone sorry about the huge delay in chapters being posted up, but last week was filled with unexpected events. For starters our computer system at work decided to crash before the holiday weekend which created a ton of work to complete upon return from the holiday break. And a family member of mine had a nasty fall not too long ago, but don't worry they are okay nothing was broken but they did need some stitches for their arm. Also this chapter went through a lot of editing making this chapter so far the most edited chapter of the story (thus far). Alright I have kept you guys waiting long enough for this chapter so I am just going to dive right in. I hope everyone had an awesome holiday weekend last week, and I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

Chapter 12: Foundations

So many thoughts began to race through Erik's mind after hearing what Emily had just confessed to him.

 _Half Japanese._ He thought, unsure of how he should react after hearing the statement.

On one side Erik did not quite understand what the point in her telling him she was half Japanese was for. It did not really affect him one way or another, it didn't change the fact that he still thought of Emily as a nuisance (regardless of race). He could just as easily have said "Okay." or "Is that it?" and continue on how things were originally going, but there was the other side of Erik that was now intrigued.

Japan was a country that Erik had never been to, at one point in his younger days he had thought about heading further east to see the land for himself, but was persuaded from going after hearing about the country's hostility towards those from the West. It was bad enough that he already faced hostility everywhere he went across Europe, and from what he had heard at the time about Japan's policy regarding Westerners he would have most likely been outright killed once he set on the land.

Erik craved to ask Emily further questions regarding her homeland; he wanted her to tell him more about the land he never laid eyes on (nor will he ever see it with his own eyes now). His mind was filling with so many questions that he was not sure where to even begin, but then a wary feeling crept up on him.

 _Why did she share this personal information with me?_

Erik now became suspicious of the girl who stood not too far from him, waiting for his reaction towards her lineage.

He knew that in all the time they had spent together he in no way showed her that he could be someone to easily open up to and speak with. He rarely spoke a word to her and did his damn best to keep a wall between the two of them; it was all he could do to even tolerate her presence since she insisted on staying. Though in the beginning she did try to tear that wall down by way of annoying small talk, she soon quickly abandoned the idea of him ever speaking to her on pleasant terms and settled into the role as his caretaker (He still cringed at the thought of Nadir paying her to babysit him).

So what had changed?

Erik wracked his memory, trying to remember if he did anything to persuade Emily that she could open up to him.

Nothing came to mind.

From out of nowhere she had just asked him to ask her a question. He mentally cursed his damn curiosity as well as Emily for tempting him with the offer to him, but he shouldered a majority of the blame on himself. He could have ignored her like he had been doing for the past month, he should have ignored her but his damn curiosity had gotten the better of him and he had asked her one of the many questions that he had wondered about her since he first heard her unique voice.

 _Where was she from?_

Well, he had his answer and was intrigued to know more, but he wasn't going to let her know that.

After some time Erik finally found some words to speak with.

"So," he spoke coolly, and casually. "Was there a point in telling me this about yourself?"

"Well…" Emily's voice had trailed off. Now it was her turn to find the right words to voice. "I just thought-"

"Tell me the real reason."

"Nani-Quelle?" she quickly corrected her language.

Erik took a deep breath and exhaled it all in one long sight.

 _I am going to regret this._ He thought as he rose from his seat at the drafting table.

"What was the point?" Erik asked her again as he easily maneuvered his way around the chair to come and stand a respectful distance from Emily. "In the past month I have done all I can to keep a barrier between you and I. In all that time what exactly have I done to give you this impression that I am someone with whom you can open up to?"

"To be perfectly honest, not a single thing."

Erik's teeth clenched slightly; he was frustrated that he had no sight in order to read Emily. All he had to rely on at this point was the tone of her voice, which was calm and was giving nothing away, but his six sense was telling him that she was up to something.

"What are you up to?"

He heard Emily exhale loudly, she sounded somewhat exasperated, then she spoke to him as calmly as she could manage.

"I just thought that if I shared something personal with you then-"

"I would be more willing to open up and talk to you." Erik finished for her.

"Exactly!" the gleefulness in her voice indicated that she was quite pleased that he had figured out her true intentions.

Erik could not help but feel a twinge of anger sprout up inside of him.

 _Why the hell does everyone want me to talk?_

By instinct his long fingers fashioned themselves into fists, and his jaw grounded in furry. He was ready to tell her the very same thing that he had been telling Nadir for the last two years.

 _I just want to be left alone._

But the desire to do left his just as quickly as it had come.

Erik released a worn out sigh and his body began to relax once more. His fingers unfurled themselves and his head hung slightly. All the anger he had felt moments before had vanished and was now replaced with a hallow feeling. He suddenly felt tired; he felt worn out and weary of telling those around him that he just wanted to be left alone. It was as if every head butting argument he had with Nadir and Emily was a boxing match that left him feeling beaten and worn down in the end.

Erik finally had enough; he felt that he did not have the strength for this match.

"Look," Erik spoke keeping his voice as calm as he could to keep it from breaking. "I admire how you were able to share something so personal to you with me, but don't expect the same from me."

"Why?" Emily's stunned cry had sounded like a child who had just been told they could not have the one thing that they wanted and begged for the most.

"It's not easy for me."

"You think it was easy for me to tell you that I am half Japanese?" The tone of Emily's voice had risen and she fought to keep her voice from cracking with anger.

Erik knew that she was now angry with him.

"I did not say that," he spoke quickly, keeping his tone calm, "but please understand that there are some things that are…"

That evil smirk danced briefly across Erik's mind and he felt a small jolt of pain spread through the right side of his torso. The memory of what that sadistic bastard had done would forever haunt him.

Erik folded his arms across his chest and was able to push the image of that horrible smile back to the darkest corners of his memories, while keeping his emotions intact.

He did not need another break down scene in front of Emily.

"Too difficult to discuss." He managed to choke out.

"I don't want you to tell me anything that would be too painful for you to talk about."

Erik was becoming rather confused at this point by what it was that Emily exactly wanted of him.

"Then what do you want me to do?"

"I just want you to trust me enough to talk to me, Erik." Emily's voice was just barely above a shout.

When Erik made no attempt at a reply she continued to explain herself further, with a more controlled voice.

"As I have told you before I am not leaving. And since you are stuck with me I think it is time that we start trying to trust one another. I am tired of being stuck in this stalemate, are you not?

Erik did not answer that last question; instead he focused on her previous words and let them sink in. She had asked him to trust her, and she had gone about doing so in the most bizarre way as possible. It made his head ache as he tried to comprehend her method in earning his trust. Erik could not make sense of any of it.

"You told me that you are half Japanese." Said Erik after a moment had passed, "Are you implying that you trust me enough not to mention this fact to Nadir?"

"That is not the reason why I told you."

"Then why tell me?"

"Because…" Emily's voice seemed to shrink as she continued to explain her reason to Erik, "I suppose, in the back of my mind…I trusted you enough to not hate for that reason alone."

Everything was slowly starting to become a little clearer to Erik now.

The way she had told him about her race sounded more like she was confessing a sin to a priest. Erik wasn't naïve; he had traveled around several countries to know that not many people took kindly to "half breeds" as they were so delicately called. He suddenly felt a stab of pity towards Emily; he may not have known what sort of Hell she might have gone through because of her mixed race, but in a way he could relate to how she felt about being hated by others of the human race for something that was out of her control.

To some level Erik could also understand her need to remove the barrier that separated the two of them. Not long ago he himself felt the same need to remove the barriers that stood between him and a certain young woman who tore his heart in half.

Unfortunately there are some barriers that cannot be torn down, or in Erik's case overlooked.

The more he thought about the more he considered putting some of his trust in her. She didn't react in terror when she had first met him and seen his unmasked face like everyone else that came into his life had, she also was not uncomfortable or frightened by his presence. She was different from the rest of the world; he sensed it the very day she barged in to his reclusive life.

She was different, but in a way he felt the tiniest bit of a connection to the wild fire of a soul that was Emily.

Deep within Erik he felt that he could trust this one girl.

 _I must be insane._

"My mother was Swedish," Erik found himself saying, "and my father was French. So, if you want to be technical I am only half French."

Erik didn't need eyes to know that Emily was smiling up at him; he could feel he joyous feelings radiating from her like the rays from the sun, lighting up the dark atmosphere of the room with the prospect of hope that the two of them could build a bridge across the chasm between them.

"Don't expect much." Erik quickly warned her.

He walked away from her to take a seat in what used to be his reading chair. Once seated he heard Emily's feet moving towards his new location then he heard them stop just a short distance from where he now sat. He had assumed that she had taken her usual place of sitting on the floor of his room.

"So," Erik spoke casually as he laid his head back to rest on the soft fabric of the chair, "Would I be correct if I were to assume that Emily Young is not your real name?"

"That is correct." Emily answered him, allowing him to know the exact location of where she now sat. He had been correct; she sat on the floor facing him.

"I did change my name to sound more Western when I left Japan." She explained.

"Then may I have the real name of the girl who I am to put my trust in?"

"My real name is Takeda Young Emi."

Erik's head snapped back up; never in his life had he heard such a strange name before.

It irritated his nerves slightly when Emily's girlish like giggles assaulted his ears, no doubt she was laughing at his sudden reaction towards her real name.

"Gomen'nasai-Je suis desole" she apologized between light hearted fits of giggles. "In my homeland we introduce ourselves by surnames first, then our birth names." She had explained, "But since I am here in the West now I suppose I would introduce myself as Emi Takeda Young."

Erik smirked merrily as he admitted to himself that while this young girl was still a minor pain to him, she was in fact proving to be quite the interesting character to him.

 _The foundations have been laid._ Erik thought as he introduced himself to her.

"Well Mademoiselle Takeda Young Emi, my name is Erik. Nothing more nothing less I am only Erik."

 _It looks like there is no going back now. Let's just see where this road will lead us to._

 **And so ends another chapter. Hopefully another chapter will be up soon now that my life has returned to normal (well my version of normal anyway). Alright it is time for some sleep because I have work at eight in the morning. Take care guys, and I will see you in the next chapter!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey everyone I am back! Sorry I do not have much to say since I am really tired, and my mind is just a blank (this is why I write all my stories down on paper first before I start typing them up on the laptop), so I am just going to dive right in to this chapter today. As always I do thank you for your reviews/comments, and also I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **WARNING!: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SOME MINOR GRAPHIC CONTENT!**

Chapter 13: Promises Broken

Free Port of Vladivostok, Russia (The Region of Primorsky Krai)

Late spring, 1884

"What did you think about your first shipping trip, little brother?" Mitka asked the newest member of the FESCO Transportation Group, Alyosha Pavlov. A young boy who was just shy of turning nineteen; who had wide blue eyes that almost looked identical to those of the Royal Family.

"It was alright," Alyosha admitted shyly, "I didn't get to see much though."

"Don't worry, little brother," said Mitka as he threw one of his lean muscular arms over Alyosha's sore shoulders, causing him to wince slightly with pain. His body had not yet become accustomed to the demands of his new job.

"You'll see plenty of interesting things in this line of business in due time." Mitka chuckled like a man who knew more than what he was letting on.

Alyosha had a pretty good idea on what Mitka was talking about. He may not have known the man long, but he knew that Mitka had the reputation for sampling the "local flavors" (as his crew mates so casually described) at the ports they made stops at, much to the Captain's disapproval of course.

"Please stop calling me that." Said Alyosha tirelessly.

"Hey, it's a better nickname than what the others call you, isn't it?" A playful smirk danced across Mitka's thin lips, reminding Alyosha of a cat.

Alyosha rolled his eyes and begrudgingly admitted to himself that Mitka had a small point; he would much rather be called little brother than The Romanov Bastard, despite the fact that he had no familial ties to the Romanov family (that he knew of anyway).

"Right, little brother?"

At times Alyosha wished he had been assigned a different mentor when he first joined the crew; Mitka was obnoxious and at times pushed Alyosha's patience to the limit.

Once he had joined the crew the Captain of the ship had placed him under the wing of Mitka Volkov, most likely because they were not that far apart in age with Mitka being four years Alyosha's senior. Mitka was delighted to take on the role of mentor because it had "gotten him a little brother out of the deal".

At first all was well aboard the ship with Mitka when they first set sail to Japan. Mitka had taught Alyosha the ropes of working upon the ship and even stuck up for him at times when he became the punching bag and the brunt of many cruel jokes to the rest of the crew. At one point Alyosha was glad to have Mitka as his mentor and even viewed the man as an older brother that is until they made their first stop.

Once their job of unloading the ship's cargo had been completed the Captain had so kindly granted everyone an evening off, but had warned everyone not to go overboard on the fun because they were to set sail back to Russia first thing in the morning. Alyosha had at first been as excited as a boy at Christmas. He was given the chance to see a new world with his own eyes, a world he had only heard about up until they made port, Mitka had even promised him a night to remember.

Mitka had fulfilled his promise to Alyosha.

On their evening off Mitka had gotten drunk by drinking his weight in imported beers and once inebriated enough he began to make quite the ass out of himself by cracking filthy jokes, spouting lewd comments, and throwing insulting comments towards the locals. Alyosha quickly learned the phrase "Gomen'nasai" to apologize on behalf of Mitka's disrespectful behavior.

Around midnight Mitka had literally dragged Alyosha to a local brothel, which Alyosha protested against, but Mitka paid him no mind as he spent a great amount of money for a virgin just for Alyosha.

"Have fun, little brother!" Is what Mitka had told him as he threw both him and the young prostitute into one of the private rooms' before slamming the door closed and leaving the two of them alone so he could go and delve into his own adventure.

Both the girl and Alyosha ran away from each other to opposite ends of the room and glued their backs up against the wall, both looking at each other with petrified stares, like little field mice afraid of their own shadows.

Alyosha didn't know who was more terrified; him or the girl.

"Uh-er…Do you know English?" Alyosha had asked her after a time.

She shook her head yes and also informed him that she spoke some English.

This gave Alyosha some relief; to not have a language barrier between the two of them.

Alyosha had then reassured the young girl (who, now that Alyosha had looked at her more closely, appeared to be his age perhaps even a couple years younger than himself) that he had no inappropriate intentions towards her. Afraid that he might have insulted her he hastily explained that while she was very pretty they were not married and he would not feel right consummating a relationship with someone who was not his wife.

His words made the young girl smile and blush softly; she had even called him an "honorable man".

"I am Alyosha Pavlov." He introduced himself to her, "What is your name, Miss?"

She sounded like a small child when she spoke, "Shimizu Haruko. You may call me Haruko, if you like." She added softly afterwards.

Alyosha and Haruko spent the remainder of the evening sitting a respectful distance from each other and just talked; about their homes, their families, what events that had happened that lead them to their now current professions. It had turned out to be quite the pleasant evening for Alyosha.

It was still early in the morning when the two of them said their goodbyes to each other. Haruko had thanked Alyosha for behaving like a true gentleman around her, and she even gave him a modest kiss on the cheek before telling him to stay safe.

"For you, Miss Shimizu Haruko, I will." Alyosha had promised, which brought a sweet smile to her pink lips.

Alyosha then hefted the exhausted body of Mitka over his shoulders and headed back to catch some rest on the ship before setting sail.

"You have been awfully quiet for awhile, little brother." Mitka commented.

"I was just thinking."

A devious grin shone on Mitka's face, "About that virgin I bestowed upon you?"

"No!" Alyosha quickly lied averting his gaze away from Mitka.

He felt his face turning red in the process and thanked God that Mitka could not see very well in the dark.

Alyosha thought quickly in order to change the subject, "I was just wondering if it is really necessary for you to follow me home."

Mitka instantly sobered up, "Absolutely." He spoke seriously, "Haven't you heard about the murders'?"

"Murders'?" he questioned nervously.

"Jesus Christ! Where have you been?" Mitka was quite stunned that Alyosha had never heard a word about the murders'; it was all anybody in Primorye talked about.

"For the past four to five years," Mitka began to explain, "some madman has been haunting the port and killing off sailors."

"And they haven't caught him?"

Alyosha began to glance about nervously, fearing that every shadow now hid the murderer.

"W-W-Wh-Why is he killing sailors?"

"No one knows," Mitka answered truthfully, "Every so often the patrol finds a mutilated body somewhere in the port, but there seems to be no motive for the killings."

"What?"

"Well, nothing was stolen from the poor men who met their end by the man's hands, and there appears to be no reason why someone would just out right kill the victims."

"Perhaps it is because this person is insane."

Alyosha was becoming hysterical with each step they took; his breathing was also starting to come in quick, short pants as well.

Mitka noticed the sudden change in his young friend and did his best to calm him down.

"Do not worry, little brother," said Mitka giving his shoulder a comforting squeeze, "I won't let anything bad happen to –"

The comforting weight of Mitka's arm vanished from Alyosha's shoulders, which left him feeling a sickening sense of dread.

"Mitka?!"

Alyosha turned about quickly to find his friend being held captive; he saw the glint of a razor sharp knife being held at Mitka's throat by one of the most sinister human beings he had ever seen in his young life.

The man who held Mitka prisoner was clad entirely in black robes, his hair was the color of the darkest nights, he may have only been of average height but an insidious aura radiated from him which would have made even the toughest of military men quake in their boots at the sight of him. It was his eyes those that really terrified Alyosha though.

His eyes were dark, practically soulless as they stared directly at Alyosha with all the focus of a predator to its prey. Those dark eyes stared directly at him, boring through him and cutting right into his soul.

Alyosha was convinced that this was no man, but a demon that had been summoned from the darkest depths of Hell.

He would have made the sign of the cross to protect himself but found he could not even move let alone speak. He was surprised that he was even still breathing as he stared at the terrifying sight before him, legs quivering with fear, threatening to give out there on the spot.

Mitka looked as equally as petrified as Alyosha, even more so, but stood still and remained stiff as a plank of wood. Mitka was afraid that if he even so much as flinched that the man's knife blade would slit his throat and that would be the end of him.

"English?"

Alyosha almost pissed himself when he heard the demonic figures voice; the voice was low and sounded more like a growl when he spoke.

"W-W-W-W-Wh-Wh-What?" Alyosha stuttered in English, his whole body trembling with terror now.

"English?!" He demanded louder, pressing the knife closer to Mitka's throat.

If Alyosha would have blinked he would have missed what happened next.

Acting on impulse, as well as the basic need to survive, Mitka delivered a hard blow to his captors mid section with his sharp elbow. The man let out a surprised gasp of air as the wind was knocked right out of him, lowering the knife from Mitka's throat, and releasing as well.

"Alyosha! RU-"

Alyosha never even saw the man draw his sword; all he saw was his friend's head removed from his shoulders in one quick fluent stroke.

"Shine."* The man growled as Mitka's headless body fell to the ground, his head not far from where the body landed.

"MITKA!" Alyosha cried, tears stinging at his eyes.

Mitka's murderer turned his sights back on Alyosha.

Alyosha didn't know what it was this mad man wanted, but he wasn't going to stick around to find out. He turned tail and bolted from the scene as fast as he could run. Alyosha did not get very far; within mere seconds the man was upon Alyosha, lifting him from off his feet and slamming him hard against one of the nearby warehouses.

The force of the slam caused Alyosha's head to snap back and smack against the warehouse wall. He could feel an intense stinging pain spread from the back of his head to his entire skull, causing the tears in his eyes to flow faster down his cheeks. For a brief moment in his stunned state he thought his head might actually burst from the pulsating pain.

A familiar glint brought Alyosha back to his dangerous reality; using his right hand the man held the very same knife that was held at Mitka's throat to Alyosha's throat and he used his left arm to pin him against the wall of the warehouse.

"English?" The man hissed pressing knife closer to Alyosha's pale throat.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!" Alyosha cried in English, "I speak English! I speak English!"

"I seek a half breed girl." He informed Alyosha.

"H-H-Half b-b-b-breed?"

"Half English and half Japanese." He explained further in adequate English, "Her name is Takeda Young Emi. Have you seen, or heard of such a girl?"

"N-N-No!"

"Too bad." He said as he released Alyosha.

Alyosha slumped down to the ground and looked up into the cold murderous eyes of his assailant with his own tear filled ones.

His eyes held no regret, nor sympathy, it shook Alyosha to his core and it was in that moment that he knew that he was staring up into the eyes of his executioner.

"Name?"

"M-m-my name?" Alyosha asked, not fully understanding what he just heard.

Without breaking eye contact the man nodded once.

"A-A-Alyosha. Alyosha Pavlov."

"I can't allow you to live, Alyosha Pavlov." He said drawing his sword from its scabbard.

Alyosha's heart dropped from his chest.

"Gomen'nasai." His murderer whispered as he brought his sword above his head.

The only sounds Alyosha could hear now were his labored breathing and his erratic heartbeat; all other sounds within the port ceased to be no more as he watched the man standing before him swing his sword in a downward motion towards him for the killing blow.

In Alyosha's final moments he thought of the pretty young girl back in Japan, and a new wave of tears assaulted his eyes at the memory of her and their evening together. He could still see her innocent smiling face and hear her warm words as she told him to stay safe.

 _Shimizu Haruko,_ Alyosha closed his eyes; he wanted his last thoughts to be of her and only her.

 _I am sorry._ He made his apology before a blinding white light took over his field of vision and a deadly chill settled over his still body.

 **And so another chapter has ended. Don't worry Emi, Erik, and Nadir will return in the next chapter (I just had to introduce the stories antagonist is all). Alright I am going to get some sleep now, you guys take care and I will see you in chapter 14.**

 ***Shine: pronounced like She-nay; is Japanese for Die**

 **(Also I am not a linguist, translator, any kind of language teacher I am only pronouncing the words as best as I can to avoid confusion. I didn't want you guys wondering why someone would say shine after decapitating a person.)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Finally it is here! Chapter 14! Hey everyone, sorry for the delay but things have happened over the past few days. To make life easier I made a list**

 **My roommate got me hooked on the new Pokemon Go game**

 **There was a lot of things to be done at work**

 **Getting everything ready to start classes again in a few weeks**

 **Personal issues back home**

 **This chapter was the mother of all nightmares to write and edit**

 **I started grinding my teeth again at night and had to get a night guard (the intense pain in my jaw is what kept this chapter on hold for the most part; trying to write when it feels like the side of your face has been punched every night sucks, because all I could think was "Son of a B****! F***! This f***ing pain! Make it stop!" and I could not focus on anything. Thank God for night guards!)**

 **I have also been thinking about publishing this story as well; my family, my boyfriend, and even my roommate keep saying I should publish, but I haven't reached a final choice yet (still thinking about it)**

 **And that is the list!**

 **Alright before we begin the chapter I just want to say sorry if I broke anyone in the last chapter (especially you Bleaky) and also thank you to those who continue to read this story. Alright on with the chapter, enjoy!**

Chapter 14: Missing

St. Dymphna, France (The Region of Brittney)

Early summer, 1884

"Merci, Madam Boulanger." Emi thanked the kind elderly woman behind the counter as she handed her a jar of strawberry preserves.

"You're most welcome, Mademoiselle Young." Said Madam Boulanger cheerfully, "Do come back soon."

"Don't worry I shall." Emi promised, putting the preserves in her basked along with the other goods that would be used for tonight's evening meal.

"Take care, Mademoiselle Young."

"Merci," Emi called over her shoulder as she exited the bake shop. "you as well, Madam."

Once outside in the warm summer sun Emi fished out the shopping list from the confines of her pocket, checking to see if she had forgotten anything on the list.

 _It looks like I have everything._

Emi doubled checked the contents of her basket and once satisfied that she had everything on the list safely in her basket she folded the list back up and returned it to her pocket.

As Emi headed back to the house she ran into a few people that she had become acquainted with over the past three months; she smiled and greeted everyone politely, and even a few people engaged in small talk with her before rushing off to complete their afternoon errands.

In the short amount of time that Emi had been at St. Dymphna she had become part of the community, in a way. Much like her first day as Erik's caretaker her presence in the village had been awkward at first; any time Emi ventured into the village upon Nadir's request she was met with the not so subtle curious gazes of the residents. Emi did her best to not allow the gawking villagers to upset her; people always stared at her when they first saw her, Emi thought that she would have gotten use to the impoliteness of others but it still stung to know that people stared at her like an otherworldly exhibition piece at a museum.

Over time the gawking ceased and the villagers of St. Dymphna came to accept the strange looking girl who worked at the house upon the hill, eventually people ventured forth to speak with Emi to try and get to know her better. During all of her travels no one had ever tried to speak with her (unless they absolutely had to), let alone want to know her. It was that action alone from the villagers that brought a smile to Emi's lips and a small shred of hope in her soul that the world was not entirely a hateful place after all.

In all honesty, Emi could say that St. Dymphna was the first place that she felt like she belonged in the seven years since leaving her old life back in Japan behind her.

When Emi returned to the house she placed her basket of goods from the village on to the kitchen table, and then proceeded to place the items in their rightful homes. Once finished with the chore Emi left the kitchen to inform Nadir that she had returned and to see if he had another chore for her to do before checking on Erik.

"Nadir," Emi called, knocking on the office door before entering, "I'm back."

Nadir was not there.

It was nothing unusual; Nadir did not just resign himself to his office. Occasionally she would find him working on some sort of project around the house that needed to be tending to. Emi wondered the house, room to room, in search of Nadir but she soon discovered that he was nowhere in the house.

 _Maybe he is outside._ Emi thought as she exited through the front door.

She walked around the property, scanning the area expecting to see Nadir somewhere.

He was nowhere to be seen.

 _Ok…_ An uneasy feeling was starting to form in the pit of Emi's stomach. _This is a little strange. Where is Nadir?_

Emi took one last survey around the house before going back inside. She raced up the stairs to Erik's room and hoped he would have an answer to Nadir's whereabouts.

"Erik!" Called Emi as she rushed into his room, forgetting to knock in the process.

Erik was sitting in his usual spot at the drafting table; when he heard Emi enter his room and call out his name, with a hint of worry laced in her voice he rose to meet her rushed steps, meeting her in the center of the room.

"What is it?" he asked with a note of concern in his voice.

Trying to keep a calm voice Emi asked, "By any chance did Nadir tell you were he went to?"

From the tone of her voice it sounded as if Nadir had vanished without leaving a trace behind.

"Is he not in the house?"

"No," she answered, her voice rose slightly with renew worry for Nadir. "and I have looked everywhere."

Erik could tell that Emi was doing her best to remain calm and to not break out in a panic, as was he.

It was out of character for Nadir to just slip away without saying a word, he always told Erik where he was going and always gave him a rough estimation of when he would return.

"You've looked everywhere?"

"I've checked the entire house, and even around outside."

Emi fell silent for a moment, her breathing somewhat quickened.

"You don't think he went to the village?" Emi asked after a moment of thinking.

Erik shrugged helplessly; he highly doubted Nadir would go to the village when he had sent Emi to run a few errands.

"I doubt it." Erik answered her honestly, "He usually tells me where he is going."

Emi fell silent again and Erik thought of her as biting her nails as she wracked her mind for another explanation of where Nadir could have gone to.

"Do you think it is possible that he went for a walk?"

Erik was a little skeptical at that possibility, "Maybe…" Erik never took Nadir as a man would go and take a walk at the spur of the moment. He was a practical man and always thought things through down to the detail.

Concern for his missing friend was slowly taking Erik over, to the point where he was unable to think clearly about where Nadir could have gone to.

 _Nadir, where the hell are you?_

"Perhaps you should go and check down at the beach." Erik suggested.

"Nani?"

"You have a better idea where one would go around here for a peaceful walk?"

"No, no." Emi said quickly, clarifying herself, "What I mean is I can't just leave you here by yourself."

A sudden rush of heat burned in Erik's cheeks; he could not help but feel insulted by her words.

"I am not a child." He snapped.

"I didn't say you were." Emi quickly shot back, "It's just-"

She cut herself off mid speech; there was no time for a pointless argument with Erik.

"Alright, I'll go and look for Nadir." Said Emi, "But I am not leaving you here defenseless."

"I think you might be over reacting just a bit." Erik muttered.

Emi made no remark towards Erik comment.

 _Better to over react then be taken off guard._

The memory of her uncle lying in a pool of his own blood flashed across Emi's mind; she quickly shook that particular memory away and pushed it back down to the furthest corners of her mind as she removed her tanto, that she kept concealed under her shirt and at the small of her back, from her make shift cotton belt.

"Here," said Emi as she grabbed Erik's left hand.

"Eh?!"

Erik could feel his cheeks redden as Emi grabbed his long gangly skeletal hand with her own soft slender one.

The surprise contact of her hand upon his made Erik want to yank his hand away from her as quickly as he could, but no sooner had he thought about retracting his hand from hers she had placed an object into his hand and by reaction alone he wrapped his fingers around the object in question.

From Erik could tell the object was made of wood, polished and smoothed, with some sort of carving engraved into the wood. That was all Erik was able to take in before Emi grabbed his other hand and placed it on another part of the object he know held. Now with both his hands on the object he guessed that it was about twenty centimeters long (eight inches).

"This is my tanto." Said Emi.

A confused look crossed Erik's usual natural features at the word.

"A what?"

"A dagger." Emi explained with a tiny smile.

Erik picked up the hint of amusement in her voice when she spoke. It only caused his face to redden further from embarrassment at his unfamiliarity with the word. He hoped to God that his embarrassment was not noticeable on his face.

"This part is the sheath," Emi explained giving his left hand a slight squeeze, "and this part is the hilt." Likewise she gave his right hand a gentle squeeze, indicating the different parts of the dagger.

"When you remove the dagger from its sheath you will have a double edged blade roughly twenty centimeters long." Emi had informed him without removing her hands from his.

Erik wished she would let go of his hands; he couldn't put words to what it was he was feeling exactly, but he wished that she would let go so he would be rid of the strange foreign emotion that stirred within him, enabling him to move or even focus clearly on her words.

"Understand?"

Not trusting himself to speak Erik only nodded his head.

"Good." Said Emi satisfied, and then added with a serious edge to her voice, "Only draw the blade if you intend to take someone's life."

Finding his voice Erik spoke dryly, "I may be blind, but I think I know how a dagger works."

"I'm serious," Erik was surprised by the sudden steel edge in her voice; it was quite the opposite of her usual light carefree voice.

"Only draw the blade if it is necessary. Understand?"

She squeezed Erik's hands with a little bit more pressure than when she had indicated the different parts of the dagger to him. As if she were silently beseeching him to promise her to not draw the weapon unless it was necessary.

"Alright." said Erik, hoping that his promise would cause her to release her hold on his hands faster. "I'll draw it only when necessary."

He heard the small smile in her voice as she spoke, "Good."

Emi loosened her grip on his hands slightly, but still she did not let go.

"I don't know how long I'll be gone, but I'll try to return soon."

"Just be careful." Said Erik, his voice reminding Emi of a soft summer wind blowing across a clear stream.

Both of them felt the sudden change in the atmosphere; it felt as though they were the only two people who existed in the entire world, that some sort of force had quietly pushed them together yet they remained at a respectful distance.

Emi looked at Erik; his expression somewhat unreadable yet she could see the smallest shock of surprise across his features at his own words. She was both surprised and flattered that he had expressed concern for her, but found her own words failing as she tried to voice her apperception for his touching words.

"Erik…" was all Emi managed to whisper.

"What I mean is," said Erik quickly, "Is that I would never hear the end of it from Nadir if something were to happen to you."

 _And I could never forgive myself._

The room was sent back to its atmosphere of familiarity and formality between the two of them.

Emi sighed and rolled her eyes, thankful that Erik was unable to see her reaction.

"Baka," she muttered, "I'll be fine. I promise."

Emi gave Erik's hands a gentle reassuring squeeze before finally releasing her hold on them, and turning to leave the room to go and search for Nadir.

Erik could hear Emi's hurried footsteps fading away from the room, but he was more focused on the thoughts that began to swarm around his mind.

 _What the hell made you say that to her?_

 _Why are you more concerned for her? A girl you have only known a few months over a friend you have known for years._

That thought made Erik flinch with guilt at having briefly forgotten about Nadir's disappearance.

Erik's grip on the dagger tightened, he could feel the edging create an imprint on the palm of his hand, and he still felt those soft slender hands upon his own.

 _Since when did you start caring about the girl?_

 _Why do you even care for her?_

 _Why? Why? Why?_

No matter how many times Erik asked himself why he suddenly cared about Emi he found that he had no answer.

 **And so ends another chapter…I hope you guys enjoyed it! Well I am off to bed now, hopefully I will see you soon in chapter 15.**


	15. Chapter 15

**HOLY CRAP!** **Hey, everyone I am back! Sorry for the sudden absentness, but I have been extremely busy at work, and I have been getting everything ready for another semester of school (…joy!). Moving on…this chapter…I don't even know where to begin. First of all I rewrote this chapter so many times that I actually lost count, not to mention I ceased working on it for awhile just to keep my head from exploding. I have said before that previous chapters took a lot of work, but holy hell this chapter alone took a tremendous amount of work! From plotting to writing to editing this one chapter had so many different ways it could have went before it ended up as it is now, but it is complete! Chapter 15 is finally here! On a random side note the song Close your Eyes, by Olivia Lufkin, was the inspiration for a scene in this chapter. If you want you can check the song out at youtube ( watch?v=R-T7DSip3SE or just type in the search bar Olivia Lufkin close your eyes and click on the first or second video. Bonus points if you can guess which scene the song inspired…lols!). I thank you all for reading through this and for your comments. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

Chapter fifteen: In the Dark

Emi considered going back to her room to retrieve her wakizashi as she raced out of Erik's room. Not wanting to waste any time though she decided against it and made her way down the stairs, quickly until reaching the last three steps which she jumped in her hurry. Emi landed on her feet and continued racing to the front door; she had briefly fumbled with the lock of the front door, cursing in Japanese as she fought with it.

Once unlocked Emi wretched the door open and her eyes were immediately assaulted by the brilliant light of the afternoon sun. She gave her eyes no time to adjust to the light; she ran out of the house in the hopes of finding Nadir walking somewhere along the beach, safely. Emi had only made it down two of the front porch steps when she knocked head first into a solid body.

The unexpected collision had caused both Emi and the unknown visitor to groan mildly in pain; both of them would have taken a nasty fall down the remaining five porch steps if it were not for the stranger's quick reflexes. The unannounced guest wrapped their left arm tight around Emi's waist, pressing her up against them to keep her from falling, and with their other hand they kept a strong grip on the railing in order to keep their balance and from tumbling backwards down the stairs.

"I'm so sorry!" Emi quickly blurted out her apology to the visitor, "I hope you didn't get hurt in anyway because of my foolishness. I am really sorry. I couldn't really see where I was…"

Her voice faded away when she looked up to meet the eyes of the person she had so carelessly ran into and found Nadir staring down at her with his jade eyes that held a mixture of concern and slight confusion within them.

"Going." Emi finished meekly feeling her cheeks turning a blazing red as she realized how scandalous she and Nadir must have appeared with his arm wrapped securely around her mid section and she pressed up against his hard chest.

"Is everything alright?" Nadir asked not seeming to notice the semi intimate position they were in.

"Everything is fine." Emi reassured, the pitch in her voice somewhat high.

 _Her voice sure does go up and down a lot._ Nadir thought.

"Then may I ask why you were rushing out of the house as fast as you could?" He asked releasing his hold on Emi and helping her to regain her balance.

Nadir's expression quickly fell, "What happened? What did Erik do?"

"Nothing. Erik didn't do anything."

"Then why were you running out of the house?"

"To find you." Emi explained, "Erik and I had no idea where you were. You had us both worried."

Nadir could not help but smirk at the idea of Erik worrying over him; the very notion was somewhat laughable to him. Erik, the very same man who threatened to throttle him from time to time, throw insults at him, and a few times in their past together strangle him in a blind furry was concerned for him.

"Where did you go?" asked Emi.

"To have some time to myself." Nadir answered honestly as he ascended the steps and walked past Emi without another word of explanation.

It wasn't until Nadir reached the front door that Emi noticed that Nadir carried a satchel, and was dressed in what looked like freshly cleaned white robes. She felt no need to question him any further on where he had gone.

"In your hurry it seems you forgot to close the door."

"Oh? Sorry."

"No harm done." Nadir said turning back to face Emi, "Would you mind going and informing Erik that I have returned?"

"I can do that." Said Emi as she walked back into the dark, barren interior of the house with Nadir.

As both Emi and Nadir walked up the stairs together he turned to address her again.

"Emily."

"Yes?"

"Once you have finished speaking with Erik would you mind helping me out with a project outside?"

"Oh?" Emi raised an eyebrow in interest once they reached the top of the staircase, "What sort of project?"

"Nothing special, just a bit of gardening."

"I would be glad to help you out." Said Emi, somewhat excited at the thought of learning something new. "I shouldn't take too long speaking with Erik."

"No rush. I have to go and change my clothes anyway. I'll meet you out back."

Emi agreed to meet Nadir outside before the two of them walked down opposite ends of the hallway; Nadir to his room and Emi to Erik's.

Emi returned to find Erik pacing the floor of his room, head bent in concentration, no doubt he was listening intently for any signs of trouble. Emi hadn't even announced herself when Erik ceased his pacing and turned his head in her direction.

"You're back early." Said Erik, "Is everything alright? Did you find Nadir?"

Emi looked at Erik, stunned and impressed that he knew it was her.

"How did you know it was me?"

"By the sound of your footsteps." Erik made it sound like it was the most obvious answer, "Did you find Nadir?"

"Yes, I did. I quite literally ran into him on the porch steps."

"Where was he?"

Emi answered Erik as honestly as she could, "He had gone on a walk, but he didn't say where."

Erik grumbled something under his breath that Emi could not pick up with her own hearing. Whatever it was he said she was sure that it was not nice at all.

 _One minute he is worried for his friend, and in the next minute he is cursing his name. Such a strange friendship._

"I don't think I will need this anymore." Said Erik as he held out the tanto for Emi to take.

"I suppose not." Said Emi taking the tanto and concealing it behind her back once more.

"Nadir says he needs my help outside." She said finishing adjusting her belt, "I am afraid I am going to have to leave you by yourself again for awhile."

"Very well." Erik felt a little disappointed to have Emi leave his presence so suddenly, "Be careful at whatever it is you are doing."

"We will try." Emi said gracing Erik's ears with the sound of a smile.

Emi had made it to the door before halting in her tracks.

Erik's hearing picked up on Emi's abrupt stop.

"Is something wrong?"

"No," Emi said mulling over an idea that had sprung in her mind, and not for the first time.

"Then why did you stop?"

The thought had occasionally come to her since the day her and Erik began speaking to each other in a civil manner; to ask him to join her on a walk.

Emi thought that it could not be healthy for someone to stay shut up inside without natural light or fresh air. She sometimes wondered how Erik could stand staying locked up in his room for so long, surely it would drive anyone mad to be caged up like a prisoner in a cell.

She wasn't quite sure how Erik would react to her proposal, but trying was better than not trying. She felt she owed it to him, as his caretaker (and possibly friend) to take him outside to breathe some fresh air and bathe in the warmth of the sun.

"I was wondering," Emi began, she clasped her hands behind her back and averted her gaze away from him, a small part of her fearing his answer would be a flat out no. "would you like to join Nadir and myself outside?"

Erik felt his chest suddenly tighten, "Outside?" he chocked.

"Yes." Emi had not noticed the slight strain in his voice when he had spoken. "Would you like to join us out-"

"No!" Erik screamed out.

Emi looked back up at Erik and found that he had gone into a state of panic. His entire body trembled with fright, he had gone a few shades paler taking on a more ghostly appearance. She could hear that his breathing had become raped and uneven and that he fought to intake air. He was doubled over in pain; one hand clutched at his chest while the other groped the air blindly looking for something to cling on to.

"Erik?" Emi rushed over quickly to Erik's side, "Erik!"

With a firm but gentle hand Emi grasped Erik's upper arms; his hand had found her shoulder and with a vice like grip he clutched down on her shoulder. Emi winced slightly from the sudden pain in her right shoulder, but shrugged it aside and focused on the trembling man she held.

"Erik," she called out once more, "Erik, what's wrong?"

He found himself unable to answer her question.

"Erik, do you need me to go get Nadir?"

Erik's grip on her shoulder tightened and he shook his head quickly no.

"D-Don't…leave." He gasped out.

"I'm not going to leave you. I made you a promise, remember?"

Emi had hoped that he would remember the day she bluntly told him that she had no intention of leaving and that the memory would help calm him, but her plan appeared to have no affect on his panicked state.

"Erik, please tell me what's wrong." She begged softly.

Between gasps of air Erik was able to choke out, "I…d-don't…want…t-t-to…go."

Somewhere in the back of Emi's mind she knew that he wasn't just talking about going outside.

"You don't have to go." Emi spoke soothingly.

His breathing slowed a bit.

"I'm not going to force you to do anything, and neither is anyone else." She promised him fiercely.

Erik's breathing was beginning to slow down, but he still trembled in her arms.

"Erik, listen to me," Emi spoke to him calmly; "you need to lie down. Okay?"

Erik nodded but clung to her shoulder tightly; she understood his unspoken worry.

"I'm not going to leave you." She promised as she maneuvered her way around to his side in order to support his body weight with the right side of her body.

"Just follow me."

With tentative steps Emi lead Erik to his bed side and helped him sit down on the edge; Emi crawled up onto the bed herself and coaxed Erik into lying down, placing his head upon her lap.

Erik's right hand continued to clutch at his chest while his other hand found the bed sheets to cling onto. Even though his breathing had slowed a bit it was still harsh and uneven; it pained Emi to watch his chest rise and fall with difficulty at the task of breathing.

At this point Emi didn't exactly know what she was doing; she was only acting upon the memory of what her mother used to do for her to help calm her when she had been haunted by nightmares as a small child. Emi placed one hand atop Erik's that clung to his chest for dear life, and with her other hand she stroked the top of his head in a soothing manner, admiring how his jet black hair felt so soft beneath her fingertips.

Emi began to hum softly under her breath; it did not take long before her voice began to sing the words of an old lullaby that her mother had sung to her to help her fall asleep. As she continued to sing Emi closed her eyes in order to blot out any form of distractions that would cause her to accidently forget the words to the lullaby.

Erik listened as a faraway voice sang to him in a language he had heard, but he could not understand the meaning of the softly sung words. The voice was light, and soothing like a gentle breeze carrying a feather to a far off place so too did the melodious voice carry Erik away. The voice carried him off to the farthest parts of his memories where he watched scenes from his past play out before his blind eyes as though he were looking at them as though they were photographs.

Moments from his childhood days, like the first time he snuck out of his room in order to see the starry filled night sky, faded into his memories as a younger man and seeing his very first architectural design become a reality. The very day he met Nadir and the rare peaceful times he spent with his friend and his young son in Persia also faded through his mind as well, and of course the memories of his first love danced before his eyes as well.

He watched as the memories played before him; the first time he saw her, the first time he sang to her under the guise of an angel. The first time he revealed his true self to her, and the first time he spoke the words 'I love you.' to her. All the precious memories of her played out until leading up to his very last memory of her, where she rejected his love with a kiss to his brow before whispering 'I am sorry' to him. He could still see her crystal blue eyes filled with tears as she spoke those words to him before turning away and walking out of his life, then everything around him faded to the cruel color of black, leaving him feeling alone, ugly and unloved.

But amongst the darkness a wisp of color began to burn, its colors reminding Erik of a candle flame.

The wisp of color burned bright against the bleak darkness, swaying in time with the voice that sang sweetly to him all the while chasing the cold, sorrowful feelings away and replacing them with a warm, comfort that spread throughout Erik's entire soul.

It was a bittersweet moment for Erik; he knew who that bright, burning wisp of color was supposed to represent to him, but he knew that he would never get the chance to see her.

As the voice faded away on its final note a few tears fell from his eyes; he watched as the color faded away with the voice, while a peaceful feeling wrapped around him like a blanket, lulling him into a blissful state of sleep.

When Emi's song came to an end she opened her eyes to find that Erik's breathing had returned to normal and that his chest rose and fell steadily with the signs of sleep.

Emi noticed a few tears had fallen from his eyes; her heart ached at the sight and she wondered what could have brought on the unexpected tears. She wiped the tears away carefully as she could so she would not wake Erik, as she wiped his tears away she noticed the different textures of skin upon his face. One side smooth to the touch with features that could have made many a young girl's heart melt, while the other side was rough and malformed. The distorted part of his face looked as though someone had broken the bones on that side of the skull, and then pressed a scalding hot piece of iron to the skin before leaving the damage to mend on its own in an unhealthy way. While one half of his face could make women soon the other half would no doubt cause most people to turn their heads away in disgust.

The thought of people turning their faces away from him because of his unfortunate face made Emi simmer with anger, but at the same time it also made her sad for him. It just didn't seem right to her that society could pass judgment on others for how they appeared without getting to know them first. Emi knew that Erik could be…difficult at times, but there were a few occasions where he managed to surprise her with his perplexing personality. Such as how he accepted her for being half Japanese, and even expressed some concern for her at times. Even though she didn't know much about him she could sense that he was not a bad person.

Emi looked down upon the face of the sleeping man on her lap and smiled softly.

 _You may be childish, stubborn, and angry at times. But you are not a bad person._

As Emi wiped the last of his tears away she noticed that Erik's blindfold had become damp with his tears. Believing that he would sleep more comfortably without the damp cloth wrapped around his head Emi decided to remove it. She had barely even touched the material of the blindfold when a hand shot out of nowhere and grabbed her wrist.

With her free hand Emi quickly covered her mouth to stifle her startled yelp. She looked down at the hand that held her wrist more tightly than necessary, before her gaze flew upward and discovered that it was Nadir who held her wrist in a tight grasp.

The expression he wore was not a pleasant one; his lips were set in a fine, flat line and his usually cool and friendly jade eyes were set in a steely gaze, boring down on her though she had just committed some sort of crime.

 _What did I do?_ Emi mentally asked as she looked up into Nadir's steely gaze with her frightened eyes.

 **And so ends another chapter…I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I still haven't decided yet if I want to publish this story or not if anyone has a comment feel free to leave one. Now that another semester is about to begin chapters will be posted at later dates (hopefully not too late). Take care guys! See you in chapter 16!**


	16. Chapter 16

**One month into the new semester…**

" **Finally I got that editing part done" *looks at clock to discover it is 5 in the morning and class starts at 10 in the morning* "Ughhhhhh!"**

 ***Teacher hands long list of equipment that I need to buy for the class* "Are you F***king kidding me right now? "*ends up dropping the class to replace it with advanced creative writing***

 ***Making plans with friends outside of class…what is free time?***

 ***Heading back home and discovers the place needs to be cleaned up* "*sigh* so much to do and I also have homework…"**

 **Hey everyone I am back! And as you can see this new semester me and my friends pretty much hit the ground running, which put all our own personal works in progress to a grinding halt. But somehow I managed to find some small amounts of free time here and there to work on this chapter, Yays! I hope everyone's new school year isn't as work filled as mine has been so far (and it has only been a freakin month since I started!) But anyway chapter 16 is finally here and for those of you who have been patiently waiting for the new chapter I hope it brightens your day. Before the chapter starts I would just like to announce that thanks to some positive reviews and thoughts (and a lot family and friends saying "DO IT!") I have decided that when this story is complete I will be publishing it, but don't worry this won't be the last chapter posted today there will be two more chapters posted to this site in the future. I could add more at this point but the details have not been completed yet, but hopefully in the next chapter there will be some more news about this story's progress. Until then I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and I hope the school year is going well for you guys as well.**

Chapter 16: Empathy

Emi followed behind Nadir at a distance as they quietly left Erik's room and made their way down the stairs.

Nadir did not speak a single word as he and Emi made their way towards the back of the house. Fearing Nadir's anger Emi kept her head lowered and her mouth shut, all the while wondering what it was she had done to arouse Nadir's unexpected anger. At one point Emi had managed to gather up enough courage to slightly raise her head up, curious to see if his anger had cooled any at all. She could practically see the anger rolling off his stiff back as he walked with quick strides towards the back of the house.

Nadir turned his head sharply to see if Emi still followed him; the weary welcome look that usually occupied his eyes had been replaced by a steely coldness that caused Emi to jump slightly when his eyes met hers. She lowered her head quickly and returned her gaze to the floor, not wanting to look into those razor sharp eyes of his any further.

 _What did I do?_ Emi kept wondering over and over again, _What did I do?_

Emi continued to follow Nadir in silence as he led the way, this time making their way to the kitchen.

Nadir had practically ripped the back door of the kitchen from its hinges as he wretched it open and motioned for Emi to step outside. Emi did as instructed without protest, but just as she crossed the threshold a flutter of panic shot through her making her stomach churn with unease.

 _What if he is firing me?_

The thought alone was enough to bring the threat of tears to her eyes; Emi was coming to enjoy her new life in the port village of St. Dymphna. She liked her job and her employer, even if he was angry with her at the present moment, and even though the man was an unbelievable pain at times she was starting to like her charge, Erik. A man who suffered from something more than just blindness.

The back door slammed shut behind her, which startled Emi greatly. She turned around quickly and was partially relived to see that Nadir had joined her outside as well. However the small amount of joy she felt when she saw him was quickly frozen over when he finally decided to speak.

"What the hell were you doing?" Nadir demanded.

"Nothing," Emi hastily explained, still unsure of why Nadir was so angry with her. "Erik had some sort of fit and I was just trying to help him calm down."

"Why were you trying to take off his blindfold?"

"What?"

"His blindfold," Nadir grounded out the words, "why were you trying to remove it?"

 _Is that why he is angry with me?_

"I thought he would sleep more comfortably without it is all." Emi explained, "I wasn't trying to be disrespectful."

"That's all?" Nadir asked leveling his gaze to hers, "Your actions were driven by concern and not by curiosity?"

Emi felt a twinge of soreness as Nadir questioned her honesty.

"Yes." Emi answered coolly, trying to keep herself from lashing out at Nadir. "I only thought he would be more comfortable without the damn thing wrapped around his head while he slept. Do you think so little of me? Do you think that I would invade someone's privacy to satisfy my own curiosity?"

"No." Nadir answered quickly and honestly. "It's just-" Nadir quickly stopped himself before he said another word.

"Just what?"

"Nothing," Nadir sighed wearily, worn out by the confrontation.

Nadir covered his face with his right hand and breathed steadily in and out through his nose. After a brief moment Nadir took a deep breath and lifted his gaze up to meet Emi's

"Just don't-Just don't touch Erik's blindfold."

"I won't." Emi promised, "I won't do it again."

"Good." Nadir breathed.

Emi and Nadir continued to stand at a respectful distance away from each, both of them avoiding each other's gaze and both unsure of how to proceed through the tension filled moment.

"What were you going to say earlier? Emi asked.

Nadir's eyes looked up to Emi, "Hmm?"

"When you questioned my honesty, you said 'it's just' then you stopped talking. It's just what?"

"Emily," Nadir did his best to hold in his temper while speaking with her. "it's best to just drop the subject at this point."

"But-"

"Now." Said Nadir with the authoritative voice of a stern parent.

Emi opened and closed her mouth; she thought about pressing the issue further, but she felt like she was already on thin ice as it was. If she decided to risk prying the subject open Nadir could easily dismiss her. For the sake of keeping her new life intake she kept her mouth shut.

The look on Emily's face reminded Nadir of what his own son's face used to look like when he would have to occasionally scold him for misbehaving. It was a mixture of bitterness, hurt and confusion; it was the look of a child who had been scolded but did not fully understand why their actions were unacceptable. Nadir saw that look on his son's face occasionally when he was just a small child; he saw it more frequently towards the end of his son's young life. The look on her face tore at Nadir's heart and against his own judgment he decided to try and explain the cause of his anger to her.

"Look," Nadir spoke calmly, as a parent would to a child.

His voice caused her to raise her head up so that her eyes met his; a gesture that further reminded Nadir of his son.

"I know you meant well, Emily, but Erik's life has not been a…pleasant one. There are some things that will deeply upset him, or throw him into a shock. You could have crossed a line had you removed his blindfold."

Emily said nothing, allowing Nadir to continue.

"If I get angry it is because Erik is my friend and I don't want to see him suffer anymore than he already has. I could never forgive the person that would purposely send him back to his own living nightmare."

Emi was at a loss for words, "I am sorry." She apologized quietly, choking slightly on her words as well.

The gentle smile that played at Nadir's lips told Emi that he was no longer upset with her.

"Now do you understand?"

Emi nodded her head, not fully trusting herself at the moment to speak.

"Good." Nadir sighed, relieved that the conversation seemed to reach its end.

He sighed feeling completely exhausted; he ran a hand through his hair then rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of what his next step should be.

"Emily," Nadir said reaching a decision, "why don't you take a break, then later go and check on Erik."

"What about the garden?"

"That project can wait until tomorrow. Until then carry on with your regular duties."

With that said Nadir headed back inside the house, deciding that he too needed a small break before tackling his next project.

Emi thought about cutting through the house to reach the front porch, where she normally spent her break times, but on a whim decided to walk around the house instead feeling as though a short refreshing walk would help settle her anxious nerves. Unfortunately for her the walk did little to calm her, she only felt the slightest sense of calmness when she ascended the porch steps at the front of the house and then settled into one of the whicker sitting chairs.

Emi tired to enjoy her moment of relaxation, but found she was unable to. Although things seemed right there was still an unsettling feeling that plagued within her soul; it wasn't a feeling of foreboding or panic, but a strange form of sadness that seemed to gnaw at her from the inside. She couldn't quite put a name to the emotion she was feeling; it wasn't quite sadness in its true form nor was it some form of guilt either. The only word that Emi could think of that came close to how she felt was bad.

Unable to find some form of tranquility Emi rose from her seat and headed back inside; she decided the spend the remainder of her break in her room. She hoped that being in the privacy of her own space would put her mind at ease.

While walking up the stairs Emi decided to check in on Erik. When Emi reached the door to Erik's room she raised a fist, ready to knock to signal her entrance, but at the last second thought against it. Instead Emi let her arm fall to her side and chose instead to open the door to peek in on Erik. She turned the door knob carefully and did her best to open the door without causing it to creak, she opened the door just wide enough to allow both of her eyes to peer into the room and found Erik curled up in bed with a serene look spread over his unique facial features.

It wasn't until Emi's eyes fell upon Erik's sleeping face that she discovered the name of the strange emotion that she had been experiencing since Nadir gave her some insight into Erik's mysterious life.

It was empathy.

 **And so ends another chapter… I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and remember next chapter will hopefully have some form of exciting news involving this story's progress. Until then take care guys and I will see you in chapter 17.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey everyone, I am back! Sorry for the delay but October was really busy. I got a few side jobs, I had a ton of film projects that had to be due on a regular basis, and also I had a project for work that I had been working on as well. Now that everything has calmed down (f***ing finally) I was able to find some free time to complete a chapter *throws confetti into the air* I know some of you have been waiting awhile for this chapter so I am just going to dive right in, but first just to let you know I have set up a twitter account so you can follow me if you want to, to see updates and random events as I continue to write this story. If you choose to follow then look for Eillah Amethyst 92_amethyst (may not look spectacular but I just got it back and going again. And more exciting news you get to vote! My friend asked me which character that she should draw first and I decided to let you guys decide. I set up a poll here on the site but I don't know if I did it right, so if you want to cast your vote you can either leave a comment in this chapter or message me on this site. You get to choose between Emi, Erik or Nadir; who would you like to see drawn first? Voting will end December 1, 2016. By the next chapter I will let you know which character won and where you can go to see the complete drawing. Ok guys enough of that on with the story, I hope you guys enjoy it.**

Chapter 17: Sorry

Free Port of Vladivostok, Primorksy Krai, Russia

Summer 1884

Captain Pytor Petrov solemnly walked the docks of Vladivostok on a nightly basis, out of sorrow and guilt for the loss of two of his crew members. Alyosha Pavlov and Mitka Volkov.

The habit became a nightly ritual for him the very day that Mitka and Alyosha's bodies had been discovered by the harbor patrol. It was a day that would haunt Pytor for the remainder of his life.

Pytor had been enjoying a relaxing cup of tea when a desperate knock came from his front door, shattering his peaceful morning. Puzzled, Pytor answered the door to see who could have been possibly knocking at such an early hour in the morning. He was quite surprised to see that it was his crewmember, Demetri, who had been pounding on the door.

"Demetri," said Pytor in a surprised tone, "what brings you here so early? Is everything alright?"

Without any preamble Demetri spoke, "You need to come down to the docks now, sir."

"What? Why? What's happened?"

"You need to get down there now."

Demetri grabbed Pytor by the arm and urged him to follow him. Pytor dug his bare heels into the floorboards and had to grab the door frame with his free hand to prevent Demetri from physically dragging him out of his own home.

"Alright, alright," Pytor said with a tone that reminded Demetri that he was speaking to his Captain. "Just let me get my boots on first."

Demetri quickly released Pytor's arm, "Sorry, sir. Please hurry though."

Whatever the urgency was down at the docks it was enough to shake Demetri, one of the toughest and strongest men in Primroye, to his core.

As Pytor shut the door behind him and followed Demetri down to the docks a dreadful feeling crawled upon his back; he sensed that something was terribly wrong in the atmosphere.

"Demetri, do you mind telling me what is going on?" Pytor asked as he tried to keep pace with Demetri's long, fast paced strides.

"Sorry, sir," Demetri called over his shoulder, "the harbor patrol found two more bodies this morning, not too long ago."

It came as no surprise to Pytor that Demetri came upon the news so fast; he lived close to the docks that he would be one of the first to hear the news of two more sailors who had been murdered. Even still an ill feeling fell like a stone in the pit of his stomach at the mention of the news.

"Are they from our crew?" Pytor asked.

"I am not entirely sure, sir." Demetri spoke hesitantly, "I only caught a glimpse of one of them from a distance, but he looked familiar to me."

"Well, who did he look like?"

Demetri did not answer.

"You'll have to see, sir. I asked the harbor patrol if they could wait to move the bodies until you came down and take a look at them."

 _Oh, Jesus Christ._

Pytor wasn't sure if he was comfortable with the idea of identifying the two bodies. It wasn't the sight of gore that worried him; it was the possibility of seeing two of his crew members dead that shook him. He didn't even know how he would even react if they were his crewmen. It would almost be like losing members of his own family.

Pytor had no family of his own and he was not able to have any children of his own, and though he never said it out loud he regarded each member of his crew as his family. To lose any one of them would be a tragedy that Pytor was not willing to face.

As he and Demetri approached the docks he prayed to Almighty God and even to Saint Nicholas that the two bodies found were not any members of his crew, and to protect and watch over the souls of the recently departed men.

A small crowd had formed around an area of the docks where Pytor assumed the bodies were found. He assumed correctly as he watched an older woman with a child glance over a few heads to see what all the fuss was about; the woman brought a hand up to her mouth before crossing herself and ushering the young child away from what was no doubt a ghastly scene.

Demetri and Pytor pushed their way to the front of the crowd and were halted by the captain of the harbor patrol.

"No one is to cross this boundary, sir." The Captain shouted so that his voice could be heard above the spectators.

"This is Captain Pytor Petrov," Demetri informed the harbor patrol Captain, "he is here to see if he can identify the bodies."

"Ah, yes, I remember you." Said the Captain as he glanced up at Demetri.

The Captain then returned his attention back to Pytor, "If you'll just follow me, sir."

The Captain called out to a younger member of the harbor patrol to keep the crowd under control as he escorted Pytor to the bodies.

"I don't want to rush you, sir, but if you could take a quick look at the bodies and try to identify them then we can move them out of her quickly, and away from prying eyes."

Though it sounded wrong Pytor silently prayed that the bodies were from another company.

"Holy Mary, mother of God." Pytor whispered when his eyes fell upon the grizzly sight.

"Do you recognize them, sir?"

The first body Pytor encountered laid face down on the ground, their head only meters away from where they fell. When he looked into the head's lifeless grey eyes he recognized them as Mitka's wolfish eyes staring right at him.

"Mitka…"

"Sir?"

The next body was not far from Mitka's; it laid slumped against a nearby warehouse. Pytor moved closer for a better look, his heart seemed to stop beating when he saw the face of young Alyosha. Eyes directed heavenward with tear tracks etched onto his pale cheeks and a body practically sliced in half, starting from the right shoulder and ending halfway through his torso, surrounded in a pool of his own blood.

"Alyosha…"

The world seemed to silence itself as Pytor glanced back and forth between the mutilated bodies of Mitka and Alyosha.

 _This has to be a mistake._ Pytor thought as he glanced from one body to the next, hoping that something, anything, would change in their appearance and that he would be mistaken.

 _It has to be a mistake._

The bodies remained the same; against all hope it was still Mitka and Alyosha who lay dead.

 _"Sir, do you recognize these men?"_ The muffled voice of the harbor patrol Captain asked, _"Sir. Sir?"_

Pytor's head felt like it was spinning round and round, and he felt his stomach flopping about like a fish on land.

A heavy hand clamped down on Pytor's shoulder, jolting him back into focus of the world around him.

"Sir," spoke the Captain, "do you-Are you alright?" he asked noticing the ashen look on the man's face.

"No."

Pytor pushed the man away from him and ran to the edge of the dock where he disposed the bile of his stomach into the murky water below.

After Pytor had pulled himself together he informed the Captain that the bodies were indeed two of his crew members; he was then asked if the two had any family members that should be notified of their deaths.

"No." Pytor answered sadly.

He knew Mitka lost his parents a few years ago, and he remembered Alyosha mentioning at one point to him that he had been orphaned at the age of seven.

 _I'm sorry, boys._ Pytor apologized as he watched harbor patrol carry the two of them away, never to be seen or heard from again.

Pytor felt his stomach tie into a constricting knot as he came to a halt upon the scene where he last saw Mitka and Alyosha. He could still see the image of their slaughtered bodies, forever painted within his memory.

He wanted to remember them they were in life; Mitka's mischievous behavior and Alyosha's childlike innocence. Two young men hungry to see the world, but children excited for adventure in the eyes of Pytor. He tried to remember the two of them alive, but he could only see them as dead.

Pytor felt that it was his punishment for allowing them to be cut down at the height of their youth.

"I know I've said this a thousand times, boys," Pytor whispered into the evening air, tears stinging at his eyes. "But I can never forgive myself for what happened to the two of you. I'm sorry."

The sound of the dock creaking was slight, but to Pytor it sounded like a cannon going off right next to him. With reflexes like that of a trained Russian soldier Pytor turned about, withdrawing his revolver that he always carried on his person, and took aim between a set of steely dark eyes.

The interloper stood straight; unflinching and unafraid, even with the barrel of a gun directed right at his head. He stared directly into Pytor's eyes with a chilling, sinister gaze that would make the devil himself shiver slightly.

"English?" The intruder growled.

Pytor could have shot the man where he stood, but instead he chose to answer the man's question with a venom laced voice. "Da, I speak English."

 **And so ends another chapter…Hope you guys enjoyed it, see you in chapter 18!**

 **Translations:**

 **Da: Russian for Yes**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey everybody, sorry for the long delay, to sum up what happened for the nearly 3 month delay it was a combination of work, school, finals, graduation preparations and side projects. I was drinking 3-4 energy drinks a day to stay awake to get everything completed on time, losing sleep and killing my appetite in the process (which lead to some minor weight loss). After finals ended I was more or less ordered to take a break (on the first day I went to sleep at ten in the evening and didn't wake up until one in the afternoon the following day), but now I'm back. Just a quick update before this chapter begins I have gotten in touch with my friend and artwork for the character of Erik has begun. Hopefully in the next chapter there will be details on where you can go to view the artwork. I hope all you had a wonderful and safe holiday, and I hope this school semester goes great for everyone! Hope you enjoy the chapter! Alright on to the story!**

 **Also: WARNING! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS ADULT LANGUAGE AND RACIAL SLURS!**

Chapter 18: Stand Off

"Da, I speak English." Pytor answered the foreign man venomously. "What the hell do you want?"

"I seek a half breed." he stated in a business tone of voice, "Half Japanese and half English. Have you seen such a girl?"

 _Half Japanese and half English?_ Pytor thought momentarily to himself. The brief description of the girl sounded vaguely familiar to him; he recalled a time about seven or eight years ago when he was in Norway on business. He had run into a young girl, who looked as though she was of some Oriental descent, he remembered that her eyes were slightly rounder than that of most Asians that he had come across. Her eyes were not the only details that Pytor remembered of her; he remembered that she had been dressed in oversized boys clothes that made her appear much smaller than she already seemed to be. She also carried a sword by her side, a detail that Pytor remembered the most because he thought it rather strange (and somewhat improper) that a young girl would openly carry a sword in the middle of broad daylight for all to see.

At first glance Pytor mistook her for a young man, because not only did she keep her dark hair tucked up under her hat, but she was also slightly tall for a young female. It was her voice that betrayed her gender. In a soft, willowy voice the girl had asked Pytor if he knew English; her hazel eyes lit up with joy and relief when Pytor told her that he spoke English.

She introduced herself to him as…

 _What was her name again?_ Pytor asked himself as he tried to remember the name that the girl had given him.

Pytor saw it as somewhat poetic that he could remember all the minor details that no one would ever pay any mind to upon meeting someone new, but he could not remember her name.

 _Was it Emma? No, that was not it. Amelia? No, that does not sound right either."_

"Answer!" the man demanded in a low dark voice when Pytor took too long to respond. "Have you seen a girl like that or not?"

"I might know something." Pytor admitted slowly, wondering if the girl he was thinking of and if the girl that the man before him was looking for were in fact the same person.

It was not often that one would find an Oriental half breed girl wondering around Europe. It was quite possible that both men were thinking of the same girl.

"Does this girl have a name?"

There was a sliver of hope that quickly passed through the man's murderous dark eyes.

"Takeda Young Emi."

 _Young!_ _That's right!_ Pytor remembered now; the girl had introduced herself as Emily Young and she had asked him if he could provide her passage on his ship in exchange for working on board.

Pytor wanted to tell her no outright; not because she was a girl and looked as though she couldn't even lift half a pood, but because he was not willing to chance losing his career by offering free passage to a stranger he found in Norway, who also appeared to be some form of Asian. He would surely lose his position for that reason alone, and most likely black listed from working with any other shipping company. Instead Pytor told her that there were no positions on his ship that she could fill, and helped her search for someone else willing to take her as a working passenger.

It took most of the afternoon, but Pytor was able to find someone who was willing to provide her free passage in exchange for work on the ship (along with a small incentive provided by Pytor). He wished her luck on her unnamed journey (she never once mentioned a specific destination on where she was headed) and resumed his life as a shipping captain for the FESCO Transportation Group.

Though the names were different it was possible that Emily Young and Takeda Young Emi were the same person, Pytor thought it was too much of a coincidence that the half breed girl he met and the half breed girl the man before him sought both shared one common name, Young. He would not have been surprised if the girl he met all those years ago altered her name to seem Western European.

"It is possible that I might have come across this girl." Said Pytor.

"What do you know, old man?" the man demanded, gripping his patients.

"I will tell you what I know," Pytor spoke boldly, "but first you have to answer a question of mine."

The man was not pleased with Pytor's response; he growled furiously at him as he withdrew a knife from the confines of his dark robes and poised it directly at the base of Pytor's throat.

"I am in no mood for games." He hissed, "Tell me what you know!"

Just like the man Pytor did not flinch when he drew his weapon against him. He took note of the speed in which the young foreigner drew his blade and knew that if he had to fight his way out of this situation that I would not be easy. Pytor had an advantage with his revolver, but it would mean nothing if he wasn't faster than his opponent, and old age had slowed the captain down over the years.

"I suggest you calm down." Pytor advised the man in the same authoritative tone he used when dealing with an unruly crew member. "You can threaten to kill me all you want, but what good will it do you?"

The man's grip on the handle of his knife tightened as Pytor continued to speak.

"You can make good on your threat," Pytor continued, "but if you kill me now you will never get the answer you seem desperate to have."

The man's jaw tightened as he growled like a dog at Pytor, he was infuriated by his words. He took a moment to analyze his predicament; he could have killed the old man where he stood and walked away. He had done so with countless others before him, but unlike all the other men this one had some information on the half breed. He had been stuck in Primroye for years now searching for any trace of her, and now after all this time he had found some form of a break in his search. The tinest chance that this man could lead him to Takeda Young was something that he was not willing to walk away from.

He lowered his blade away from his throat and in return Pytor lowered his gun away from the man's face.

"Ask." The way he spoke the word sounded as though he had to force it from his throat.

"Not too long ago," Pytor began calmly, "two sailors were murdered in this exact location. Were you the one who killed them?"

"I have killed many." He stated casually.

The coolness in his voice made Pytor's blood heat with anger. He stared at the man heatedly and wondered how could anyone confess to killing others so calmly as the man before him did.

"If you are wanting to know exactly who I have killed then you are wasting your time, old man. I do not make it a habit to learn the names of the enemies who stand in my way."

"You bastard." Pytor whispered darkly, "You fucking bastard."

"What is it to you, old man?" he challenged, "Why should you care about the men I have killed?"

"Because, you little pizdaglaz-!"

"Watch your mouth, rosuke!"

Both men quickly raised their weapon against each other, and had every intent on killing each other. The only thing that prevented them from doing so was that they both needed answers from the other, and bit back from acting upon their murderess impulses.

"Those two men that were killed here," Pytor breathed hotly, "that _you_ killed."

The man made no attempt to deny the accusation.

"They were my men. They had names. Mitka Volkov and Alyosha Pavlov."

"Mitka…Alyosha…" he softly mused to himself, "I know those names…I remember those names." He said with a faint trace of reminiscence in his dark gaze.

Pytor looked at him in disbelief.

"Those were the names of the last two men I killed."

It felt as though someone had stabbed Pytor right in the center of his heart, and were slowly twisting the knife to intensify the pain. Not only did he admit to killing them, but he knew their names.

Pytor's whole body began to noticeably tremble with rage as he looked right into the eyes of the monster who killed Mitka and Alyosha.

"Why?" Pytor asked, his voice on the brink of shattering, "Why did you kill them?"

"I answered your question," said the man calmly, but with warning in his voice, "Yes, I killed them. Now tell me what you know about the half breed girl."

"Not until you tell me why you killed Mitka and Alyosha." Pytor demanded.

"I answered your question. Now speak."

"What did they do? Why did they have to die? Why?"

"Damn it, old man! I agreed to answer one question, not two. Now talk! What do you know?"

"What did they do to you that deserved death? Tell me!"

"Chikusho!" the man screamed wildly, knocking Pytor's arm out of the way as he lunged at him.

Pytor tried to react to his opponents attack as fast as he could; he was able to fire off one shot from his revolver, but he was not quick enough. He missed his target.

In one fluid motion the man grabbed Pytor by the lapels of his coat, and had swiftly knocked his right leg out from under him, causing Pytor to lose his footing. Pytor was then slammed harshly down to the ground; he barely felt the pain shooting through his whole back, he was more concerned about the blade of a knife being pressed against his throat.

Pytor's attacker hovered over him; looking down upon him with a sinister snarl and dark demonic eyes .

"Talk!" he demanded.

Not willing to give up so easily Pytor clutched the revolver tightly within his right hand and swung his arm out at the man, striking him across the face as hard as he could. The unexpected attack caused the man to stagger back slightly and the blade to lower from Pytor's throat, allowing him to push the man off of him.

Pytor tried to scramble to his feet first but the younger man was quicker and was already on his feet ready for his next attack. Pytor had managed to get to his knees but he was quickly knocked back down to the ground with a swift kick across his face. He tasted an ungodly amount of iron in his mouth but ignored it and focused instead on surviving. He still held the revolver and was ready to use it again, but before he could even think to make a move the man stomped down upon Pytor's wrist causing the bones to snap and break as though they were made of twigs.

Pytor howled with agony as he released his weapon. The weight that had bore down on his wrist quickly disappeared; he rolled over, breathing heavily through his nose and groaning with pain as he clutched his injured wrist to his chest. He heard the sound of his gun skitter away from him as he tried once more to make it to his feet.

 _Come on! Come on! Come on!_ He urged himself as he pushed himself up to his knees, but was stopped again. This time he was halted by the end of sword aimed directly between his eyes.

 _What the hell?_ Pytor thought as he looked cross eyed at the blade, _How the hell did I miss this?_

Pytor cursed himself for his error in not assessing the entirety of his opponent.

It was eerily silent; nothing to be heard but the sound of the water sloshing beneath them, and Pytor's ragged breathing.

In the dim moonlight Pytor could see the minor damage he had caused on the left side of the man's face. There was a slight tear on his cheek from where the bullet had grazed him, and he could see the early stages of a bruise forming around his eye. The minuscule marks that he had left upon the man made Pytor smile inwardly; he may have lost, but at least he had managed to throw a couple of hits at the aslant.

From out of nowhere the man told Pytor in an even voice, "Mitka died because he chose to fight back. Alyosha died because he was a witness."

Pytor spat out some of the blood in his mouth while glaring at the man with seething hatred. "I thought you said you never bothered to learn the names your enemies."

"There are few exceptions." He explained, "I remember their names, simply because they both shouted them out of fear for one another. I asked Alyosha for his name to show him that I regretted having to kill him."

Pytor snorted. He didn't believe the man regretted killing Alyosha at all.

"Really? You regret killing Alyosha."

He clarified quickly, "I regret both of their deaths."

Pytor looked up at the man questioningly; his stern facial expression fell away when he looked up and saw a gentle form of regret hidden behind the steely guarded gaze of his.

"They were like brothers." He said without further explanation.

The comment the man made about Mitka and Alyosha brought a smile to Pytor's bloody lips and a few tears to well in his eyes. For the first time since their deaths Pytor was able to see Mitka and Alyosha as they were in life rather than in their deaths.

It was hilariously cruel that the man who caused their deaths was the one who brought their smiling, hopefully faces and their adventurous spirits back to the forefront of his memories of them.

"I have indulged you, old man." The man said interrupting Pytor's thoughts, "You now know the reason why your men are dead. Now tell me what you know about the half breed girl."

Pytor took a deep a exhaled deeply before speaking, "A few years ago," he spoke in a worn voice, "I helped a young girl find passage on one of the Norwegian shipping companies ships. She looked as though she was some kind of Oriental."

"Did she have a name?"

"She called herself Emily Young."

"Emily Young?"

"I do not know if she is the same girl you are looking for or not, but there are not many half Japanese girls wondering around Europe with the name Young."

"No there is not." The man spoke more to himself than to Pytor.

"You may find more answers in Sandefjord, Norway. You might want to ask those who work with the A.F Klaveness and Company. Someone is bound to remember her."

"Arigatou."

The same eerie silence from before passed by them again.

"What is your name?"

"Eh?" Pytor was taken aback by the sudden question.

"Your name. What is your name?"

"Pytor Alexander Petrov."

"Pytor Alexander Petrov," the man spoke while bringing the blade of his sword up, "You fought well, and I shall respect you after your death."

Pytor raised his head and exposed his neck as much as he could. He had accepted his fate and embraced it with a cold willingness.

"Do I at least get to know the name of the man who killed me?" Pytor asked closing his eyes for the last time. Images of Mitka and Alyosha as they were under his command swam across his memory and brought a small comfort and a smile to his lips, in his final moment.

"Hiroto." He answered before swinging his sword in one quick strike to insure a painless death for the man.

He watched as Pytor's lifeless body fell to the ground before him.

"My name is Hiroto."

 **And so ends another chapter. Alright you know the antagonist's name now! Yeah, doesn't sound threatening in the least. Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long to post now that I am all rested and hopefully there will be news in the next chapter on the status on the art piece of Erik (that sounded weird to say out loud…). Also shameless self promotion *shakes head and sighs at self* if you want to be updated/check out behind the scenes of ongoing work and such and blah blah blah, check out my twitter page at Eillah Amethyst 92_amethyst. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, because it was both fun, and extremely difficult to complete. Until then take care of yourselves, and don't go overboard on the caffeine. See you in the next chapter!**

 **Also:**

 **Phrases used in Chapter 18 (I am not a linguist or an expert in languages if you see any mistakes feel free to correct me)**

 **Russian words/phrases:**

 **Pizdaglaz-Russian insult roughly meaning c**t eyes**

 **Pood-unit of measurement (1 pood = 36 pounds and ½ pood = 18 pounds)**

 **Japanese words/Phrases**

 **Rosuke- Japanese derogatory word for Russians**

 **Chikusho-Damn it**

 **Arigatou-shortened form of thank you**


End file.
